TOK essay
El conocimiento que más valoramos es aquel del que podemos ofrecer las justificaciones más sólidas". ¿En qué medida esta de acuerdo con esta afirmación? El ser humano lleva intrínseco el querer buscar la causa racional a todo aquello que ocurre a su alrededor. El identificar, conceptualizar y cuestionar todo cuanto forma parte del medio en el que nos desenvolvemos nos hace posible el establecer conceptos nuevos concluyentes, en función de su coherencia o contradicción frente a otros conceptos de partida o premisas, es decir, aquellos conceptos preexistentes. Es mediante el procesamiento de toda esta información, obtenida tanto gracias a nuestro razonamiento deductivo como inductivo, que tenemos la posibilidad de adquirir conocimientos. Si únicamente no enfocásemos en la razón, al encontrarse fundamentada por la lógica y/o la evidencia; la validez de esta afirmación parecería ser aplicable al cien por ciento, sin embargo debido a que la naturaleza del ser humano y el medio en el que se desarrollan los actores del conocimiento serán siempre cambiantes en cada individuo hacen complicado la generalización total acerca de la aplicación del estamento que gobierna mi ensayo. Por dichos motivos me he permitido encaminar mis ideas con base a la nueva interrogante ¿De qué depende la valoración que le damos al los conocimientos que adquirimos? Y en ¿qué
TOK essay
"Truth is that to which the community ultimately settles down" (Charles Peirce). Analyse and evaluate this claim. Truth, according to The Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary, is a judgment, proposition or idea that is true, or accepted as true. Well, then when is something true? True, again according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, is when something is in accordance with reality of a proven fact. Well, then what constitutes a reality? Merriam Webster states that reality is the quality or state of something being real. Well, then what is real? The questions could go on and on, like you had just 5 discovered the word why when you were six. The concept of truth proves to be just as fascinating. However, I believe the dictionary to be wrong about a couple of things. Truth, I think, while often interpreted as concrete, is actually an objective word. I believe truth to be an individual decision, and would therefore differ from person to person. This, while my person feelings on the issue of truth, is the exact reason that I disagree with the above statement made by Philosopher, Charles 0 Pierce. Contemplate the following scenario; a large group of people are sitting in a room. They are discussing a currently pressing social issue and trying to come to some universal conclusions and/or solutions. Well, if truth can be something ultimately
ToK essay- we see and understand things not as they are but as we are
"We see and understand things not as they are, but as we are." This statement is fathomable to an extent since we as individuals are moulded by society. There are two ways of knowning I would like to illustrate, belief and truth. In a human's mind there is a very fine line between the two, and with progressive reexamining of facts even "truth" is being altered. To a believer, the belief is a truth and that is how myths become legendary. Also perception is an important element of our gained "knowledge". Two different individuals who have had very dissmiliar experiences will have various opinions regarding a vast amount of things this is why some people have arachnophobia but others are completely comfortable around spiders. This shows that perception plays a great role in the making of the foundations of our society. The example I would like to throw light upon is the contreversial subject of cannibalism. Suprisingly, the single most influential factor that drives people into becoming a cannibal is social pressure. But we as a produce of a civilised society think of this as a devastating and savage act but in certain tribes of Africa it is seen as aintegral part of a ritual and also humans that are devoured are only eaten as a form of punishment. The tribe leaders equate this to cannibalism and also use the theory of evolution where members of various classes eat the same
Tok presentation
So, my question today will be whether Is it moral to lie in order to make things better or preserve good? First thing we have to suppose in order to be able to talk about moral is that we are not determined or more precise that we are not hard-determinist. Because if we would be determined, it would mean we would have no free will and as we do not have free will, we are unable to make our own choices. So a basic condition to talk about morality is that we have a free will. In every day life we encounter many situations, which require us to make a choice. These situations vary a great lot and with them the choices we have to make. Sometimes we simply have to choose between two actions, or if to do it in the first place. But every now and then we make some decisions that might not be beneficial for us in the long run. I would like to give you a real life example that will illustrate the situation in which we have to make a choice. Lets imagine that Mike has a girlfriend since 6 years. They are very happy together and enjoy each others company. Both of them have gotten so used to each other and they started hanging out most of the time. But after six years Mike cheated on her because he got drunk and wanted to have fun. After the great night he woke up sober and was confronted with an ethical dilemma. Now he has two possibilities. Either telling his girlfriend the truth or
Tok presentation
Today I'm going to talk weather or not prostitution should be legalized. Prostitution is also known as the world's oldest profession and it has appeared in almost every culture all over the world. First, what benefits does it provide to man's life? Obviously, it fulfills one of his man's strongest urges as a human being - sex. It's easy to observe that men go to prostitutes to have a good time, and enjoy the experience. On the other side, the prostitutes provide their services voluntarily and make a decent living in the process. Both sides benefit, and the fact that hookers work in nearly every country in the world suggest that there is a great demand (and proportionally a great perceived benefit) for their service. But everything is not that nice. In America, where prostitution is illegal in most places and no government oversight of abuses exists, prostitutes face serious physical, financial, health, and legal challenges in the process of providing their services. However, is this a necessary aspect of prostitution? As with every other controversial topic two sides are formed. One supports the prostitution and other is against it. When I was doing research into this topic I found one interesting quote I want to introduce to you: Prostitution is a combination of sex and the free market. Which one are you against? This side belief, that prostitutes are not committing an
To what extent is truth different in mathematics, the arts and ethics?
To what extent is truth different in mathematics, the arts and ethics? As human beings, we are constantly searching for this higher level of knowledge, truth, whether it is in the sciences, in our own lives, or in religion. For example, if I want to know how I can find the area of a triangle given two sides and an angle, I just refer to the trigonometry section of my math SL textbook, which gives the equation meeting those criteria as well as the proof. But by helping derive and justify the equation A =0.5absinC, the proof confirms this mathematical truth. For this question, I will step further into truth and our perception of truth, exploring the question: To what extent is truth different in mathematics, the arts, and ethics? First, I feel it necessary to distinguish between the different truths that may exist simultaneously. Truth, in my opinion, can be classified into two categories: "hard" and "soft" truths. "Hard" truths are universally-accepted facts that can always be proven to be accurate and they are found most often in the areas of mathematics, natural sciences and history. Even in the arts and ethics, there are universal truths, such as the fact that Beethoven composed the Moonlight Sonata, A.R Rahman composed "JAI HO" or even the fact that Leonardo Da Vinci painted the "MONA LISA". However, the specific truths one seeks in a piece of music, a work of art, or a
Using history and at least one other area of knowledge, examine the claim that it is possible to attain knowledge despite problems of bias and selection.
Using history and at least one other area of knowledge, examine the claim that it is possible to attain knowledge despite problems of bias and selection. The study of whether a source can be trusted in light of its origin, reliability and subjective nature is one that is consistently employed by historians and writers who intend to create as an objective an account of events as possible. In this essay I intend to discuss the negative impact that bias can cause but also how it can be limited or used to the historians' advantage when analysing a certain period in history. I will also explore the effect that bias and selection has on the natural sciences which can be linked to historical circumstances in a bid to argue that knowledge can be obtained despite these problems. As my primary point, I would like to stress that bias and selection in themselves do not necessarily impede our knowledge of this period. Just because someone is more favourable to one figure or set of events at the expense of another does not make our source worthless. From my personal viewpoint of studying Medieval History at a higher level within the IB syllabus, I fully understand the implications that bias holds in distorting the truth, however this distortion in itself can provide useful information. For example, the reign of King John of England created many sources negative to his style of kingship.
The text under analysis is taken from the book Doctor in the House written by Richard Gordon.
“Doctor in the House” by R. Gordon The text under analysis is taken from the book “Doctor in the House” written by Richard Gordon. Richard Gordon is the pen name used by Gordon Ostlere, an English surgeon and anaesthetist. As Richard Gordon, Ostlere has written numerous novels, screenplays for film and television and accounts of popular history, mostly dealing with the practice of medicine. He is most famous for a long series of comic novels on a medical theme starting with Doctor in the House. Gordon worked as anaesthetist at St. Bartholomew's Hospital (where he was a medical student) and later as a ship's surgeon and as assistant editor of the British Medical Journal. In 1952, he left medical practice and took up writing full time[1]. The text is devoted to the final examinations at the medical institutions and tells us about the condition of students before, during and after exams. It begins with the comparison the final exams with death; this image presents the students’ attitude to the event. The author gives the description of preparation for the examinations. Then the narrator depicts the procedure of the exams which consists of two parts: written papers, after which one of the students gives a very specific theory of the way the tripos is marking at Cambridge; and the viva – the oral examination, before which he characterizes different types of
The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles The Great War of the early 19th century that devastated nations, destroyed empires and ultimately bankrupted Europe was finally brought to an end in 1919 following numerous treaties, peace talks and most importantly an armistice. Following 4 years of industrialised warfare and over 10 million casualties the Great powers of Europe began the long and tiresome journey of rebuilding European politics, as well as ensuring that such a catastrophe would never happen again. However the consequences and limitations placed on Germany following the Armistice Treaty and the Treaty of Versailles shocked and angered many Germans as their government had painted a completely different picture. On the 8th of January 1918, President Woodrow Wilson announced his Fourteen Points to the American Congress, where he outlined the expectations he aimed for following the end of the Great War. This controversial statement was originally frowned upon by the Allied government, however it also received a large amount of praise as the future of self-determination. These points were also utilised as propaganda to lead the Allies to victory, and were globally distributed as not just a vision for the future, but also as encouragement for the Germans to surrender. These points ranged from historical territorial issues, general principals and long-term peace policies that acted as a
What are the differences between "I am certain" and "it is certain", and is passionate conviction ever sufficient for justifying knowledge?
Candidate name: Tam Wai Kit, Jonathan Candidate code: 001225-020 School: Yew Chung International School International Baccalaureate Diploma - Theory of Knowledge (ToK) What are the differences between "I am certain" and "it is certain", and is passionate conviction ever sufficient for justifying knowledge? The difference between "I am certain" and "It is certain" deals with the difference between subjectivity and objectivity, in terms of expressing and justifying knowledge. "I am certain" involves personal interpretation in a particular event (subjective), whereas "It is certain" tries to avoid such a problem. To the observer, subjective observations are equally as real as objective observations, with the fact that objective observations are common to all subjects where subjective ones vary among different observers. Subjectivity often involves personal emotion, and therefore it is likely to be affected and misled by the subject thus it differs from the reality. In Economics, we have a similar concept: positive and normative statements. Positive economics are objective, and therefore can be tested by available evidence. Normative statements are subjective and express an opinion1. Normative statements are subjective. For example, an economist might say, "I am certain that the cyclical employment is due to the low efficiency of the government in terms of its fiscal
