As an IB student, how has your learning of literature and science contributed to your understanding of individuals and societies?
As an IB student, how has your learning of literature and science contributed to your understanding of individuals and societies? Man is known as a gregarious animal, which is incomplete in the absence of a society or group. The world is divided into seven continents, and every continent comprises a number of countries. Every individual has a place to live on the earth, and he does not live alone. He lives with his family, and his family in turn is a part of his society. All these societies combined together constitute the world. We have learned a lot about individual behavior and societal structure though a number of knowledge areas such as sciences, arts, history, religion, economics and ethics etc. Science is an area of knowledge that is precise and perfect as it is based on empiric evidence, observations and experience. No scientific hypothesis is sealed with a mark of authenticity unless it is accompanied by substantial evidence. It is the knowledge given by science alone that we know that we are human sapiens-the most rational creatures in this world. We know that every individual has a mind and heart, and that he or she is afraid of isolation and loneliness. Not to talk of modern man, even the gypsies and Nomads in Africa lived in a society whether on land or on trees! An individual cannot live without a society. The proof is evident not only in the modern world but
Can we know when to trust our emotions in the pursuit of knowledge? Consider history and other areas of knowledge?
Can we know when to trust our emotions in the pursuit of knowledge? Consider history and other areas of knowledge? Word count: 1607 Emotions are the most intrinsic parts and parcel of humanity. There can be no man who is emotionally void. We, including animals, all feel different emotions: hate, love, envy, anger, grief and euphoria. Emotions are the key forces that segregate us from information processors such as computers. The conflict between the heart and mind is legendary, and it shows that emotions are as important as logic. Without emotions there can be no knowledge provided the knower values the knowledge. Did not the naked Archimedes yell “Eureka” to express his emotions on having discovered the reason behind the displacement of water in the bath. Yes, what is of utmost importance is the emotional response to knowledge. Even animals such as lions and tigers can be trained by a trainer provided these animals have emotional propensity and concern for the trainer. And if not, we know that “one can lead a horse to water, but cannot make it drink.” Emotions as a powerful way of knowing can affect other ways of knowing too. For example they can cloud our reason; make us biased to someone; hate others, and use derogatory language to give vent to our innate feelings. Like the two faces of a coin, emotions are edifying as well as chimerical. They can be a source
With references to two areas of knowledge discuss the way in which shared knowledge can shape personal knowledge.
With references to two areas of knowledge discuss the way in which shared knowledge can shape personal knowledge. Shared knowledge is the knowledge that the community we surround ourselves with believes to be the collective truth. We often think of this separate from our personal knowledge, which is what we personally believe is true and stems from individual experiences that aren’t shared in complete form with anybody else. However, society influences our perspective and thus our personal knowledge. I will be exploring the effect of this claim through the knowledge areas of human sciences and history. As a high school girl, I have experienced my share of peer pressure from friends. At times, my actions have gone against my personal belief of what is right and wrong, but I performed them due to pressure to conform. This could be ostracizing a girl my friends disliked but had done nothing to personally offend me, or being uncomfortable with my body and going on fad, perhaps unhealthy, diet changes that my friends were doing. I have often found myself asking “Why?” From this I formed my first knowledge question: Why do I let these social pressures constrain my personal opinions about myself and others? In an attempt to answer this question I shall look at the human science of psychology. Psychologists have pointed out the existence of normative social influence, which
Do we have to learn to think scientifically in order to find the truth?
Anna Markmann 1.03.04 Do we have to learn to think scientifically in order to find the truth? After a confrontation with this question a lot more questions seem to "pop out"- What is truth? What is the truth? What is scientific thinking and does it automatically lead to a truth or the truth or the truths? Can truth or truths be found? Do we need to know the truth? ... The amount of connected questions increases proportional with the amount of time you spend on finding an answer to the main question. This is because there are so many assumptions in this concept. Therefore a need of defining key words occurs. Though defining terms is very central it is highly problematical and difficult. After thinking of what the most important concepts in this question might be and deciding on truth and science, I interpreted truth as a temporarily not falsified concept or idea with respect to certain factors. These factors include among others factors time, cultural background, language, skills, gender, age, etc. Science, or better natural sciences, such as biology, chemistry and physics, are based on the same truth principle: elimination of the falsified ideas. The combination of the truth and science ideas could be compared to the process of peeling an orange - to eliminate or peel off the falsified and obtain the sweet core, the truth. But because the truth finding process is a
Does language play roles of equal importance in different areas of knowledge?
Does language play roles of equal importance in different areas of knowledge? Language is the one of the principal ways in which we humans communicate. Humans, unlike other animals, aren't born speaking the human symbolic language, we learn it. Language is one of the four ways of knowing and is crucial for us. The main purpose of this essay is: to analyze in depth each area of knowledge (e.g. Maths, History, Music, Science and Arts) and conclude in the end if language is really more infuential and important in some areas of knowledge than in others. Maths is an area of knowledge where language is crucial. Experts argue if maths was created or it already existed. One side states that maths was In my opinion the mathematical notation is just a way of allowing maths to be something international and understood by all people. Language in which we communicate by speaking can vary from country to country. They are all linked however by one factor: the words and phrases we use to communicate contain a meaning. For instance, the word chocolate is a sound which symbolizes the physical food itself, the word chocolate itself is a word that carries the concept of chocolate. Language includes not only words and verbal communication but also any kind of symbol which contains a meaning. A good and clear example of this is the symbol of a heart, it is an international recognized symbol
Does language play roles of equal importance in different areas of knowledge?
Does language play roles of equal importance in different areas of knowledge? Ways of knowing are the ways in which an individual uses to gain knowledge. There are four different types of ways of knowing sense perception, emotion, reason and language. In my opinion, language as a way of knowing is one of the many important ways of knowing because it goes beyond communication. Without language as a way of knowing, individuals wouldn't have been able to share their knowledge nor communicate with each other. Therefore it would be impossible to gain knowledge, because its language that we use as a main tool in school in order to understand the teacher and gain knowledge. In definition, I think language can be said to be any form of communication. If the message sent by the sender is successfully received and understood by the receiver, the form of communication they used can be said to be a type of language. Examples of language can also be sign language, math which is said to be the universal language and even one's body language because by someone's body language other individuals will be able to understand what they are feeling. For example, one day I saw my friend shaking her leg when she was sitting down, this made me realise that she was nervous about something. She didn't tell me she was nervous, but her body language made me realise that. All those are forms of
Does language play roles of equal importance in different areas of knowledge?
Does language plays roles of equal importance in different areas of knowledge? We are able to distinguish four most well-known ways to acquire knowledge. It is either through the reasoning, perception, emotions or language. All the areas are important in the unique way. However, we would not be able to acquire any knowledge and pass it without the use of language. We would not know emotions of other people or even our own due to the fact that we would not how to define them. Besides, the ability of reasoning would be narrowed drastically. In different sources we can find many definitions for the word “language” and all of them vary a bit but the main point is that language, spoken or written, is a mean of communication. It is a unique feature for humans as only animals who can make use of such complex means communication. Our ancestors used a intercommunication consisted of limited vocal sounds which were dependent on environmental stimulus. Nowadays, the language evolved and transformed in a genious tool that allows people to exchange their ideas, express their feelings, fears and dreams and also to discuss the everyday life matters. It gives us, human beings, the ability to be the independent and open-minded by broadening the horizons of our minds. In this essay I will show that the language does play roles of equal importance in different areas of knowing,
Does the possession of knowledge carry an ethical responsibility?
Ting Yuen Lai “The possession of knowledge carries an ethical responsibility”. Evaluate this claim. Knowledge is known as information and skills acquired through experience or education, or even the theoretical and practical understanding of the subject. Knowledge is all around us. It can be obtained in an instant, yet may have positive and negative consequences on the person who possesses it and on the environment around him/her. Other times, knowledge may even be hazardous. Either way, the possession of knowledge has a role to play in our society, and pushes us to act. We are often troubled and worried about the course of our actions, and the ethics associated with those actions. Ethics are known to be the fundamental principles or beliefs associated with morally acceptable and morally unacceptable behavior, seen in a person’s eyes. Now according to moral relativism, an area of ethics, our values are determined by the society we grow up in and there are no universal values. Hence, a person’s ethics can have originated from a variety of different sources. An ethical responsibility is known to be our responsibility to act upon our beliefs based on what we consider as ethical. Thus it can be said that to an extent, knowledge equips our ethical views with a responsibility, allowing us to act upon this knowledge according to what we perceive to be
Doubt is the key to knowledge ( Persian Proverb ). To what extent is this true in two areas of knowledge?
“Doubt is the key to knowledge” (Persian Proverb). To what extent is this true in two areas of knowledge? 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.[1] Since our ascent on earth, we have progressed to an era that can arguably be called the golden age of our species. The advancement of natural sciences has been at the heart of our progress, with the last century bearing witness to incredible discoveries and inventions that have contributed to making our lives better. Today, we know that microbes are responsible for most of the diseases that were once ascribed to the wrath of god, such as plague and cholera; we have forensic science to determine guilt and innocence without the need to resort to testimony and oaths. We would not have reached this age had it not been for our incessant quest for knowledge and an appetite for doubt. Our natural curiosity has made us think in order to find better and newer ideas for every facet of our lives. Had the sword of doubt not penetrated the misconception about the shape of the earth, we would still have believed the earth to be flat. Therefore, doubt is the basis on which one proceeds to acquire knowledge. According to Plato, “Knowledge is justified true belief”, which means, that in order to know that if a given proposition is true, one
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS Overview Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs | Simply Psychology Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a theory of psychology explaining human motivation based on the pursuit of different levels of needs. The theory states that humans are motivated to fulfill their needs in a hierarchical order. This order begins with the most basic needs before moving on to more advanced needs. The ultimate goal, according to this theory, is to reach the fifth level of the hierarchy: self-actualization. Relevant schools of thought within psychology * biographical analysis; (Is an interpretive research approach to understand how individuals take part in social contexts and make sense of them. The analysis of the interviews helps to reveal the structures of personal and social processes of action). *** Maslow began by picking out a group of people, some historical figures, some people he knew, whom he felt clearly met the standard of self-actualization. Included in this group were Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jane Adams, William James, Albert Schweitzer, Benedict Spinoza, and Alduous Huxley, plus 12 unnamed people who were alive at the time Maslow did his research. He then looked at their biographies, writings, the acts and words of those he knew personally, and so on. From these sources, he developed a list of qualities