TOK Across the Curriculum Linking Questions Groups 1 and 2 1. Can translations ever be trusted to carry the original intent? 2. Do people who speak different languages live in different worlds? 3. How is communication affected when older generations do not know modern meanings? 4. Through literature, how can we gain understanding of different cultures? 5. Can you have a thought if you do not have a word for it?
Group 3 1. Since history is always being rewritten, can it ever be trusted as absolute truth? 2. Should history be held to the same investigative requirements as science? 3. Are primary or secondary sources more reliable? 4. Does whoever controls the present control the past? 5. In the soft sciences (psychology, sociology, etc.) do we ever actually get closer to the “truth,” or do we just establish new paradigms?
Group 4
1. How reliable is the scientific method? [ data collection, emotional interference, manipulation of statistics, etc. ] 2. Is inductive reason in science (particular to general) more reliable than deductive reason in mathematics (general to particular)? 3. Could science exist independent of mathematics? 4. Could there be an “end” to science if everything important is known?
Group 5
1. Are the formulas on which maths depend always absolute? Can they undergo change? 2. Since math and God are the only absolutes, is math synonymous with God as Russell suggests? 3. Since statistics can be manipulated, can math be absolute? 4. Can mathematics be considered beautiful? 5. Can math make true claims about non‐existent objects? 6. Is math discovered or invented?
Group 6
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Can “the beautiful” be defined by an expert? What is the nature of the beautiful? Does life imitate art? Is explanation a goal of the arts? Is “talking about music like dancing about architecture” (Zappa)?
Ethics
1. Ought ethical standards be relative or absolute? 2. Ought man guide his life by the common good or by personal satisfaction? 3. Should we judge actions by the motive or the consequence?
Sense Perception 1. 2. 3. 4.
How do expectations affect sense perception? Does “I see” mean “I understand”? Is there any knowledge which is independent of sense perception? Does sense perception play the same role in hard and soft science?
Emotion
1. 2. 3. 4.
Why is emotion often considered less valuable than reason? Are there circumstances where emotion should play the largest role? Is an action morally justifiable if it feels right? Is religious faith purely emotional?
Reason
1. How do beliefs affect our capacity to reason? 2. Is too much logic boring? 3. Can a universal logic be established?
Language 1. 2. 3. 4.
Can we trust symbols to convey our message? Will we one day have language without emotion because of technology? How can an examination of language establish ideological biases? How can ambiguity in language impede or contribute to knowledge?