Doubt is the key to all knowledge. To what extent is this true in two areas of knowledge?

"Doubt is the key to all knowledge." To what extent is this true in two areas of knowledge? DaeYong Jang Rene Descartes said, "If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things." The reason why people consider what he said is reasonable is because we never are fully sure of the uncontested knowledge unless it is constantly under inquiry and proven to be a true statement. So the knowledge issue is same as the question topic: to what extend is the doubt key to knowledge? I believe that the doubt is "key" or important method through which the truth is discovered. First, the uncertainties are formulated using many different ways of knowing. These ways include sensory perception, logical reasoning, culture and educations. Then, an uncertainty is formed using one of the ways of knowing, next convincing evidence is formed around the doubt, and once that evidence has been formed and tested, either the doubt disproves the former uncontested knowledge, or it further supports the theory, which turns into knowledge. Such is the method of doubt; it is one of the factors that I believe influences the expansion of knowledge in science, math, religion, and history. The considerable increase in the quantity of information, such as invention of linear perspective and publication of De humani corporis fabrica

  • Word count: 2200
  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: Theory of Knowledge
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Coherence Essay

Alex Kluivert Theory of Knowledge 8 December 2008 Coherence v Correspondence The United States is known for its claims of freedom and justice, but who is to say what these claims even mean. It is obvious that the very citizens that claim freedom have no idea what these claims mean. How is it that if we say we know what freedom and justice is, we have our disagreements politically? A few months ago if there was a physical being of justice and freedom, the U.S. would have voted almost unanimously for one single candidate there would be no questions of justice and individual freedoms. Another example is The Articles of Confederation, the United States' first attempt at organized government. It failed miserably. Much of this failure can be attributed to the fact that any significant change or addition made to the original document needed a unanimous approval. The states almost never agreed on anything. Anyone who is even halfway familiar with politics today will laugh at the idea of one hundred percent approval. Why is this? Why do we disagree, sometimes so far as to render compromises impossible, on so many things? Our disagreements all come from different perspectives on what is true, what is good, and what is beautiful. Perhaps these truths do not have any concrete existence, but rather our reality is defined by ourselves and our cultures, a coherence way of thinking.

  • Word count: 2177
  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: Theory of Knowledge
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Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of using faith as a basis for knowledge in religion and in one area from the TOK diagram

Theory of Knowledge Essay Yinshu Wang ________________ Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of using faith as a basis for knowledge in religion and in one area from the TOK diagram (8) Humans employ various ways of knowing depending on the area of knowledge at hand. We predominantly use reason and logic in Mathematics and Science, perception in interpreting art, emotion and intuition in ethics and language and symbols to understand history. Religion and ethics are closely linked but are they the same? Ethics is the innate moral machinery each of us seems to possess that helps us to make fundamental decisions regarding right and wrong. Religion, although a very commonly used word, has different connotations for different people. Sigmund Freud, father of psychoanalysis and considered by many to be the father of modern psychology, in his New Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis says that, “Religion is an illusion and it derives its strength from the fact that it falls in with our instinctual desires" (1). British Philosopher Bertrand Russell says that, “Religion is something left over from the infancy of our intelligence; it will fade away as we adopt reason and science as our guidelines"(1) while some others like famous American Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson speak of religion in high regard. He says that, “Religion is to do right. It is to love, it is to serve, it is to

  • Word count: 2161
  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: Theory of Knowledge
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Food Aid, who benefits?

What is Food Aid Food aid is about providing food and related assistance to tackle hunger, either in emergency situations, or to help with deeper, longer term hunger alleviation and achieve food security (where people do not have to live in hunger or in fear of starvation). Introduction Food aid constituted over 20% of global aid flows in the 1960s, but is now less than 5%. Yet, it is still important because of the world hunger and the increase in food emergencies in the past decade. The decline of food aid, as well as the way in which it is delivered and used, are therefore of importance. Many people believe that food aid benefits the receiving countries and have no side effects whatsoever, but this belief, this perception is clearly false. No doubt food aid does help the receiving countries in the short run to get out of emergency famine situations, but the long run consequences of food aid are clearly not well known to many people and as such, I will be discussing on this issue of Food Aid: Appearance vs Reality. Food Aid Helps According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, more than 25 000 people die of starvation every day, more than 800 million people are chronically undernourished. On average, every five seconds a child dies from starvation. There is no doubt that many countries are facing a huge shortage of food and the people in

  • Word count: 2117
  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: Theory of Knowledge
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Emotion Vs Reason

'Sometimes we hear reasoned arguments that oppose a view to which we are emotionally committed; sometimes we hear a passionate plea for a view we have good reason to reject. Bearing this in mind, discuss the importance of reason and emotion in distinguishing between belief and knowledge.' In the modern and technological age of the 21st century, almost everyone in the world is united through the relentless outpouring of information that may play a significant role to desensitise our reason and sensitise our passion. This information is seemingly presented but in fact, reiterated and almost forcefully being driven into our minds. As the frequency of these updates increases and our minds become more accustomed to it, the amplitude and connotations can lose their context to result in us, the audience, being presented with this information, where neither reason nor emotion is sufficient to differentiate between knowledge and belief. When reason and emotion conflict, we are presented with the age-old question, of whether to "listen to your head, or listen to your heart?" To be able to distinguish between the two, one must first understand the similarities within their definitions. A belief is a form of knowledge that is largely based on something personal, from a source usually lacking judgement, understanding or justification. A belief derives from one's personal and cultural

  • Word count: 2116
  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: Theory of Knowledge
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That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence. (Christopher Hitchens). Do you agree?

“That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.” (Christopher Hitchens). Do you agree? Knowledge has been and shall remain one of the highest and most coveted ideals for human beings. From sages and seers to scholars and philosophers, all have striven towards the elusive ideal of perfect knowledge. The fact that it is limitless only adds to the attraction, and therefore lifetimes are spent in unveiling barely the tip of the iceberg of knowledge. But according to Bertrand Russell “What men really want is not knowledge but certainty.”[1] I cannot but agree to his claim that we need to be certain before we can value any kind of knowledge. This ‘certainty’ is what we can also term as assertions that are compounded with evidence. Without evidence assertions are but compilation of facts and figures that can carry no weight and can as easily be dismissed. Human tendency is to find evidence for all that is perceived, felt, read or heard. Little wonder then that ever since a toddler learns to speak, he applies the six “W’s” and the one “H” to every fact. This may be a simplistic version of the statement of Christopher Hitchens but this is my earliest quest for evidence as a knower. Believing is a prerequisite for mere assertions to become knowledge and we cannot believe what we cannot logically justify and justifications are

  • Word count: 2100
  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: Theory of Knowledge
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Seek simplicity and distrust it. (Alfred North Whitehead). Is this always a good advice for a knower?

Seek simplicity and distrust it. (Alfred North Whitehead). Is this always a good advice for a knower? "The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity" (Whitman 1855 in Kaplan 1982) Walt Whitman exclaims and expresses his admiration for the virtue of simplicity. Many believe, that the simplest theory is the best and that it is simplicity, which reaches closest to truth and perfection such as Marcellinus Ammianus, who proclaims, that: "the language of truth is unadorned and always simple." (Jézégou 2008)Also Leonardo DaVinci expresses his admiration for the virtue of simplicity, declaring it to be "the ultimate sophistication" (The-four-laws-of-simplicity-and-how-to-apply-them-to-life 2008). It seems, that if a knower seeks simplicity he automatically heads towards perfection and truth and that simplicity is always superior to complexity. But isn't this far too simplistic of a conclusion? It may be questioned how a complex world such as ours can be explained in simple terms and why simplicity is superior to complexity. How valuable and reliable is a simplified observation or information and how far can we trust simplicity in order to find the truth? "Seek simplicity and distrust it," the mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead proclaims and hence states that a knower should aspire to simplicity whilst he or she

  • Word count: 2096
  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: Theory of Knowledge
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Theory of Knowledge People need to believe that order can be glimpsed in the chaos of events (adapted from John Gray, Heresies, 2004). In what ways and to what extent would you say this claim is relevant in at least two areas of knowledge?

"People need to believe that order can be glimpsed in the chaos of events" (adapted from John Gray, Heresies, 2004). In what ways and to what extent would you say this claim is relevant in at least two areas of knowledge? Order, from my perspective, can be defined generally as a methodical, structured arrangement employed to aid in the completion of an objective or purpose. Opposing this is the force of chaos, which I believe is a spontaneous condition of psychological disorientation that counters a knower's equilibrium in an environment. It is, of course, a subjective concept and can be defined differently in the arts and the natural sciences, the areas of knowledge I will be limiting analysis to. In natural science, I define chaos as any such outcome that contradicts experiments or current scientific postulates of the universe, while in the arts it will be defined as a resistive force that opposes how a creative vision is formed. The term "people" will represent those specialized group, particularly practitioners of the arts or the natural sciences. The ways and the extent to which a knower's interpretation of chaos influences the individual's contextualization of order is the centralizing knowledge issue of the essay. Perception and reasoning affect whether one will require an appreciation of order amid chaos; however, the interactions between these ways of knowing are

  • Word count: 2069
  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: Theory of Knowledge
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Context is all. from the novel The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood brings a curious topic into light and presents a challenging question: Is there no such thing as truth?

Sriram A IB First Year Word Count: 1600 words Theory of Knowledge Essay: "CONTEXT IS ALL" (MARGARET ATWOOD). DOES THIS MEAN THAT THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TRUTH? "Context is all." from the novel "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood brings a curious topic into light and presents a challenging question: Is there no such thing as truth? This inquiry deserves much thought and contemplation regarding definitions of truth and context and how they are inter-related. The problems of knowledge that arise from such situations are: . What do we mean by a contextual framework? 2. Are the so called "absolute truths" completely independent of context? 3. What is the role of context in determining the truth? 4. Does the nature of truth attained depend on the truth's dependence or independence of context? 5. Can there really be existent a truth devoid of all contexts? Let me start by defining context. Noel Williams(1) writes: Context may refer to the following: * The linguistic context * The physical situation (time, place, setting, speaker etc); * The historical circumstances leading to the communication * Ethnic Background * Cultural Beliefs * Personal Bias My definition of context will also encompass all these criteria. It is important to note that ways of knowing act only as impulses to attain truth and their dependence on context is of negligible importance. My

  • Word count: 2068
  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: Theory of Knowledge
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Tok essay 2009

"Vemos y entendemos las cosas tal como somos, no tal como son". Discuta esta afirmación en relación con al menos dos formas de conocimiento. En el presente ensayo se justificará la frase "Vemos y entendemos las cosas tal como somos, no tal como son" relacionándola con las formas de conocimiento tanto Empírica como Racionalista. La primera desarrollada por el filósofo David Hume y la segunda por René Descartes. En otras palabras se explicará, tomando como base estas dos totalmente diferentes corrientes de pensamiento, el tipo de conocimiento que cada sujeto adquiere durante el acto cognitivo y también los demás influyentes que este tiene durante el proceso epistemológico. No obstante, previo a esto se hará una breve introducción al tema teniendo en cuenta, en términos generales, las posiciones de ambas corrientes y elaborando algunos enunciados básicos a tener en cuenta. Podemos decir que nuestro conocimiento lo obtenemos principalmente por nuestra propia percepción de la realidad o de un objeto específico que a la vez está determinada por nuestra posición, en el tiempo, y por el lugar desde el que estamos mirando. Es decir que actualmente no vemos las cosas de igual manera que como las veíamos hace veinte años. Ninguna otra persona o sujeto ve los mismos objetos de igual manera que como los ve uno mismo. Esto está fundamentalmente determinado por las

  • Word count: 2063
  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: Theory of Knowledge
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