Theory of Knowledge - An introduction
Real Headlines:
• Elvis found working as Plumber in Poland
• Alien base found on dark side of Moon
• Alien base mysteriously disappears
Real Predictions:
• “There is no way humans will tap the power of the atom” • Robert Milliken, Nobel Prizewinner (Physics) 1923
• “I think there will be a world market for 5 computers” • Thomas Watson, founder of IBM (1958)
• “The Internet will never take off” • Bill Gates, Microsoft
Problems of knowledge
• How much of what you know is
TRUE????
Tasks
• Identify something you have been told, which you believed in at the time but you now recognise as false.
• How did you find out the truth?
Tasks
• Identify something you are absolutely certain about. • Is anyone else certain about them too?
Tasks
• What is the difference between: “I am certain that…….”
and “It is certain that………….”
History of Mankind
• We know so much but we have only been here briefly!! • So how can we assume we know everything? • What are humankind’s greatest successes? • Does it really matter how long we’ve been around?
I know…..
• …. that I am the best TOK teacher there ever was. • …that The Beatles were the greatest Pop Group ever. • …I love my wife and children.
What is knowledge?
• So, if you can believe something without knowing it, can you know it and not believe it? • Is knowledge the same as true belief? Can you imagine a case where someone believes something which is true but where we would NOT say she knows it?
Knowledge is………..
•Justified, true belief
Justified, true belief
• Can you think of a situation where either:
• Someone might have justified true belief but we wouldn’t say that they knew something? or: • Someone did not have justified true belief but we would say that they knew something?
Validity of the Justification
• Is the is the justification we use really valid? • eg1 Iraq was invaded because there were weapons of mass destruction hidden. • eg2 Education is important because it makes for a better person.
Facts and Opinions
• Weak forms of knowledge -based on bias and misinterpretation Strong forms of knowledge • - based on reason and experience and with valid justification
3 Types of Question
• Ones with only one correct answer • How many Hydrogen atoms on a water molecule?
• Ones with many possible answers • What is the best way to tackle the world’s overpopulation?
• Ones with no correct answers • Which boy band is the best?
So… What is TOK?
• It’s all about justifying our thoughts on various topics, about arguing for what we believe in. • We must consider whether our beliefs are justified and whether our justification is VALID