2. Knowledge Claims By now, after many years of full-time education and life- experience, you can, perhaps, claim to know many things. You should be able to identify the justifications you have for what you claim to know and choose to believe. These justifications may include: TaK logic perception intuition Self-awareness memory consensus authority faith

3. TaK Knowledge Claims Here is a list of things that I might claim to know, and another list of reasons I might give to support these claims. Match the reasons to the claims. Claims 1. (I know that) the sky is blue 2. (I know that) 2 + 2 = 4 3. (I know that) it is wrong to murder a person 4. (I know that) I have a fear of spiders 5. (I know that) I went out for a run yesterday 6. (I know that) what the doctor said is true 7. (I know that) women are more emotional than men 8. I know exactly what God wants of me 9. (I know that) I am going to heaven 10. (I know that) the fjord is more beautiful than a rubbish tip 11. (I know that) I love my brother Justification Value judgement Faith Memory Authority Intuition Revelation Sense perception Logic Self-awareness Common knowledge Instinct

4. Knowledge Claims 1. Your friend has told you that a vending machine has just been installed in the Kantina. Do you believe her or not? Why or why not? Do you ask questions to evaluate the claim? 2. Your friend has just told you that the math test was difficult. Do you believe her or not? Why or why not? 3. Your friend, obviously upset, has told you that a flying saucer has landed behind near Sweden House … and 15 little green men stepped out! Do you believe her or not? Why or why not? 4. Your chemistry teacher tells you that one mole of any substance contains 6.02 x 10 molecules. Do you believe her or not? Why or why not? 5. Your Math teacher has just told you that Math is the most fascinating subject in the world. Do you believe him or not? Why or why not?

5. Knowledge Issue/Knowledge Question What is a Knowledge Issue? Questions that help us to obtain knowledge Issues which hinder our ability to obtain knowledge Wherever there is a Knowledge Claim, there are Knowledge Issues/Questions TaK

6. Broad, ‘panoramic’ questions which may help us to obtain knowledge … TaK What? Who? How? Why? When? Where?

7. A partial list of factors which may help or hinder* our ability to obtain the truth….. Age Ethnicity Education Gender Nationality Prejudice Experience Beliefs Emotions Assumptions TaK *hinder: to prevent, cause delay, get in the way WoK Limitations

8. When should we trust our senses to give us truth? Possible Knowledge Claims? Real-life example:……… Counterclaim (however):……… Implications (further questions):…….. Conclusion:…….. TaK

9. “We see and understand things not as they are but as we are.” Discuss this claim in relation to two Areas of Knowledge. Two examples of Knowledge Issues (Knowledge Questions) that could be addressed in this title:  How do our ……………. affect how we perceive the world?  In what ways can we overcome ……………… to arrive at an understanding of things as they really are? TaK

10. Essay Title or Knowledge Claim Identification of Knowledge Issue (Knowledge Question) Evaluation of KI using real-life examples from different Areas of Knowledge Conclusion of evaluation Applied to initial claim/title Exploring counterclaims (However…) Implications (Further questions) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ToK Writing

12. Language: How does the way we describe something affect the way we see it? Ethics: Do good people see the world differently from bad people? Arts: To what extent do the arts help us to see the world with new eyes? History: Should we trust eyewitness testimony? Natural Sciences: Do expectations influence observations? Human Sciences: Does observation influence what is observed?

13. Structure 1.Real-life example:……… 2.Counterclaim (however):……… 3.Implications (further questions):…….. 4.Conclusion:…….. Language: How does the way we describe something affect the way we see it? Ethics: Do good people see the world differently from bad people? Arts: To what extent do the arts help us to see the world with new eyes? History: Should we trust eyewitness testimony? Natural Sciences: Do expectations influence observations? Human Sciences: Does observation influence what is observed?