KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONS THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

WHAT IS A KNOWLEDGE QUESTION? Questions that explicitly address knowledge. They are NOT questions of knowledge, but they are questions about knowledge. Knowledge questions are best expressed in terms of ToK vocabulary. REAL LIFE SITUATION Vocabulary is specific to an AOK KNOWLEDGE QUESTION Vocabulary is general TOK

QUESTIONS ABOUT KNOWLEDGE This is an example of the TOK sandwich. Our knowledge questions all begin in the real world and then move into the realm of TOK. COMPLEX REAL WORLD ISSUE SIMPLIFIED KNOWLEDGE TOK SECOND ORDER QUESTION

Good KI An open question, explicitly about Knowledge. Couched in terms of relations between concepts from AoK, WoK and belief, certainty, culture, evidence, experience, explanation, interpretation, intuition, justification, truth, values. OK KI An open question, explicitly about Knowledge. Poor KI A closed question, implicitly about Knowledge Not a KI A statement or a closed question, about a subject specific issue rather than about Knowledge per se To what extent can human sciences use mathematical techniques to make accurate predictions? How can we use models to predict crime waves? Will police crime predictions turn out to be correct? How can we prevent crime?

Good KI An open question, explicitly about Knowledge. Couched in terms of relations between concepts from AoK, WoK and belief, certainty, culture, evidence, experience, explanation, interpretation, intuition, justification, truth, values. OK KI An open question, explicitly about Knowledge. Poor KI A closed question, implicitly about Knowledge Not a KI A statement or a closed question, about a subject specific issue rather than about Knowledge per se Should we believe paranormal claims? Does the paranormal exist? The Sixth Sense ?

Good KI An open question, explicitly about Knowledge. Couched in terms of relations between concepts from AoK, WoK and belief, certainty, culture, evidence, experience, explanation, interpretation, intuition, justification, truth, values. OK KI An open question, explicitly about Knowledge. Poor KI A closed question, implicitly about Knowledge Not a KI A statement or a closed question, about a subject specific issue rather than about Knowledge per se Why is Utilitarianism appealing? Utilitarianism ? ?

Good KI An open question, explicitly about Knowledge. Couched in terms of relations between concepts from AoK, WoK and belief, certainty, culture, evidence, experience, explanation, interpretation, intuition, justification, truth, values. OK KI An open question, explicitly about Knowledge. Poor KI A closed question, implicitly about Knowledge Not a KI A statement or a closed question, about a subject specific issue rather than about Knowledge per se Is ebola likely to kill millions? What do we mean by an‘epidemic’? ? ?

Good KI An open question, explicitly about Knowledge. Couched in terms of relations between concepts from AoK, WoK and belief, certainty, culture, evidence, experience, explanation, interpretation, intuition, justification, truth, values.. OK KI An open question, explicitly about Knowledge. Poor KI A closed question, implicitly about Knowledge Not a KI A statement or a closed question, about a subject specific issue rather than about Knowledge per se ? ? The credit crisis ?

Good KI An open question, explicitly about Knowledge. Couched in terms of relations between concepts from AoK, WoK and belief, certainty, culture, evidence, experience, explanation, interpretation, intuition, justification, truth, values. OK KI An open question, explicitly about Knowledge. Poor KI A closed question, implicitly about Knowledge Not a KI A statement or a closed question, about a subject specific issue rather than about Knowledge per se Your own ideas?

Good Knowledge Questions are: Open questions explicitly about Knowledge per se and not about subject-specific claims Couched in terms of relations between concepts from AoK, WoK and belief, certainty, culture, evidence, experience, explanation, interpretation, intuition, justification, truth, values.

Real-Life Situation Knowledge Question (recognized) extraction Theory of Knowledge: Presentation Structure

Real-Life Situation Knowledge Question (recognized) Knowledge Questions) (developed) extraction progression Theory of Knowledge: Presentation Structure

Real-Life Situation Knowledge Question (recognized) Knowledge Question(s) (developed) extraction progression Theory of Knowledge: Presentation Structure application

Real-Life Situation Other Real-Life Situation Other Real-Life Situation Knowledge Question (recognized) Knowledge Question(s) (developed) extraction progression application Theory of Knowledge: Presentation Structure

Example 1 Conspiracy Theories

Why do conspiracy theories exist? Conspiracy Da Vinci Code

Why do conspiracy theories exist? People believe what’s most appealing Conspiracy Different Interpretations of the same facts Biases affecting conclusions drawn Da Vinci Code

Why do conspiracy theories exist? People believe what’s most appealing Conspiracy Different Interpretations of the same facts Biases affecting conclusions drawn Death of Benazir Bhutto Death of JFK Da Vinci Code

Based on the Conspiracy Theory Map What are the strengths and weaknesses of this structure?

Example 2 Limits of Science

How far is science limited in finding out the truth about reality? Documentary on the Large Hadron Collider Limits of Science

Documentary on the Large Hadron Collider Limits of Science Definitions of science Definition of reality Nature of scientific method How far is science limited in finding out the truth about reality?

Documentary on the Large Hadron Collider Limits of Science Definitions of science Definition of reality Nature of scientific method Role of technology in science Limits of human sensory perception Colour illusions Problems of inductive reasoning Differences between ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions Incompatibility between scientific and moral claims Situations not amenable to experimentation Astronomy How far is science limited in finding out the truth about reality?

Documentary on the Large Hadron Collider Limits of Science Definitions of science Definition of reality Nature of scientific method Role of technology in science Limits of human sensory perception Colour illusions Problems of inductive reasoning Differences between ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions Incompatibility between scientific and moral claims Situations not amenable to experimentation Astronomy History the past is beyond our grasp Mathematics Axioms must be taken for granted Human sciences Human behaviour is unpredictable Gödel’s theorem How far is science limited in finding out the truth about reality?

Documentary on the Large Hadron Collider Limits of Science Definitions of science Definition of reality Nature of scientific method Role of technology in science Limits of human sensory perception Colour illusions Problems of inductive reasoning Differences between ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions Incompatibility between scientific and moral claims Situations not amenable to experimentation Astronomy History the past is beyond our grasp Mathematics Axioms must be taken for granted Human sciences Human behaviour is unpredictable Gödel’s theorem Successes of science? Medicine HIV treatment How far is science limited in finding out the truth about reality?

Documentary on the Large Hadron Collider Limits of Science Definitions of science Definition of reality Nature of scientific method Role of technology in science Limits of human sensory perception Colour illusions Problems of inductive reasoning Differences between ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions Incompatibility between scientific and moral claims Situations not amenable to experimentation Astronomy History the past is beyond our grasp Mathematics Axioms must be taken for granted Human sciences Human behaviour is unpredictable Gödel’s theorem Successes of science? Medicine HIV treatment How far is science limited in finding out the truth about reality?

Limits of Science Map What are the strengths and weaknesses of this structure?

Example 3 Claims in History What are the strengths and weaknesses of this structure?

President Ahmedinejad’s denial of the Jewish Holocaust Claims in History Description of Holocaust Auschwitz

Under what circumstances can a historical claim be considered valid? President Ahmedinejad’s denial of the Jewish Holocaust Claims in History Description of Holocaust Auschwitz

Under what circumstances can a historical claim be considered certain? President Ahmedinejad’s denial of the Jewish Holocaust Claims in History Explanation of the concept of validity in relation to historical evidence Why should we care about historical truth? Importance of history Understanding the present Predicting the future Knowing identity Role of bias and Interpretation in history: emotion, culture, etc. Other problems: gaps, language issues, past interpreted in terms of present, etc. Is there a True history? Description of Holocaust Auschwitz

Under what circumstances can a historical claim be considered valid? President Ahmedinejad’s denial of the Jewish Holocaust Claims in History Explanation of the concept of validity in relation to historical evidence Why should we care about historical truth? Importance of history Understanding the present Predicting the future Knowing identity Wall Street crash Role of bias and Interpretation in history: emotion, culture, etc. Other problems: gaps, language issues, past interpreted in terms of present, etc. Phlogiston “Witchhunt” of communists in USA Is there a True history? Description of Holocaust Auschwitz

Under what circumstances can a historical claim be considered valid? President Ahmedinejad’s denial of the Jewish Holocaust Claims in History Explanation of the concept of validity in relation to historical evidence Why should we care about historical truth? Importance of history Understanding the present Predicting the future Knowing identity Role of bias and Interpretation in history: emotion, culture, etc. Other problems: gaps, language issues, past interpreted in terms of present, etc. Phlogiston “Witchhunt” of communists in USA Is there a True history? Wall Street crash Description of Holocaust Auschwitz Validity of claims in Mathematics and Science… Validity of claims in Art… Validity of claims in Ethics…

Under what circumstances can a historical claim be considered valid? President Ahmedinejad’s denial of the Jewish Holocaust Claims in History Explanation of the concept of validity in relation to historical evidence Why should we care about historical truth? Importance of history Understanding the present Predicting the future Knowing identity Role of bias and Interpretation in history: emotion, culture, etc. Other problems: gaps, language issues, past interpreted in terms of present, etc. Phlogiston “Witchhunt” of communists in USA Is there a True history? Validity of claims in Mathematics and Science… Validity of claims in Art… Validity of claims in Ethics… Wall Street crash Description of Holocaust Auschwitz ???