THE NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE TOK LAJM ORIENTATION What

THE NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE TOK LAJM

ORIENTATION • What do you take as granted every day as ”true” but really aren’t sure of it? – What questions arise?

Knowledge Claim • An assertion that something is the case • Any statement that can be true or false – E. g. ”Helsinki is the capital of Finland”, ”The president of USA is a nice guy” and ”I’m in love”

Knowledge Questions • Questions about knowledge – Second order questions – Open questions contestable, no straightforward answers – General questions not subject-specific

TASK • Teacher hands out pieces of papers in a random order • Your task is to arrange these pieces of papers in the right order

TASK • Start formulating your own knowledge questions! • Use the previous task and teacher’s template as a springboard!

Knowledge Questions • Formulating and elaborating your own knowledge questions is the GIST of TOK!

The Definition of Knowledge • Knowledge: – Justified – True – Belief

Truth • The correspondence between knowledge claim and reality – E. g. ”Helsinki is the capital of Finland” is true if Helsinki is really the capital of Finland • In practise something is true if it’s beyond reasonable doubt

Belief • A state of mind in which a person thinks something is the case • In order to know something, the knower must understand what he/ she knows

TASK • Will it ever make sense to say that a computer KNOWS something?

Justification • The way how the knowers belief is pointed to be true • In order to be knowledge, beliefs should be supported with evidence

TASK • Try to find different ways to justify your claims/ beliefs! • You may use the previous examples as a springboard • You may also choose another topic and elaborate on that • Try to use the ways of knowing in TOK curriculum: – – – – Language Perception Reason Intuition Emotion Memory Imagination Faith

Levels of Knowledge • Information is order that doesn’t necessarily contain meaning, justification nor truth • Knowledge has a subject, a knower, who forms meaningful wholes out of information

TASK • Have you ever passed a test without REALLY understanding the subject? – What does this tell you about the difference between knowledge and information?

Types of Knowledge • (1) Knowledge by acquaintance – First hand knowledge based on experience – Knowledge of

TASK • Could someone who has never visited, say, Lapland know more about it than someone who lives there?

Types of Knowledge • (2) Practical knowledge – Skill-based knowledge – Knowledge how

TASK • What role does practical know-how play in the school subjects today? – Consider, in particular, languages, sciences and the arts

Types of Knowledge • (3) Knowledge by description – Second hand knowledge which comes in the form of language – Knowledge that

TASK • How does your knowledge by description influence your knowledge by acquaintance and vice versa? – How are the two types of knowledge related to each other?

TASK • Many people can speak their own language fluently, but cannot explain it’s underlying grammar – What does this suggest about the relation between knowledge how and knowledge that?

TASK Do this kind of table into your memos and fill it with your own examples Knowledge by acquaintance Practical knowledge Knowledge by description My first concert: - excitement - failure - success How to play the flute: - breathing process - embouchure - fingerings History and conventions of different musical concerts Can you find any relation, overlap or interaction between types of knowledge within your examples?

TASK • What kind of knowledge questions can you create based on what you have learned from the nature of knowledge? – Truth, belief, justification, evidence, information, types of knowledge etc.

Picture sources • The truth is out there <http: //quotesgram. com/the-truth-will-come-outquotes/> Accessed 15 th of August 2015. • Wheel head <http: //eng. rightscale. com/2014/09/01/importance-ofinternal-knowledge-sharing. html> Accessed 15 th of August 2015. • Knowledge head <http: //philosophy. talons 43. ca/2014/12/08/5832/> Accessed 15 th of August 2015. • Pieces of paper <https: //fi. pinterest. com/pin/179792210096275948/> Accessed 15 th of August 2015. • Springboard <http: //marccardaronella. com/2011/03/10/how-lentenpenance-can-springboard-your-spiritual-growth/> Accessed 15 th of August 2015. • Group and light bulb <http: //www. proprofs. com/knowledgebase/callcenter-software/> Accessed 22 nd of September 2016.

Picture sources • Knowledge <http: //www. stonecobra. com/knowledge-as-aservice-kaas-a-proposal/> Accessed 15 th of August 2015. • Truth sign <http: //www. thegospelcoalition. org/article/holding-fast-to -truth-in-a-doubting-age> Accessed 15 th of August 2015. • Truth and belief <https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Belief> Accessed 15 th of August 2015. • Commodore 64 <https: //fi. wikipedia. org/wiki/Commodore_64> Accessed 15 th of August 2015. • Evidence <http: //janiczek. com/why-choose-us/evidencebased-investing/> Accessed 15 th of August 2015.

Picture sources • Information <http: //www. sihd. org/getpage. php? name=infor mation&> Accessed 15 th of August 2015. • Exam <https: //www. flickr. com/photos/albertogp 123/5 843577306> Accessed 15 th of August 2015. • Experience sign <http: //www. snipview. com/q/Personal_experien ce> Accessed 15 th of August 2015. • Lapland <http: //www. lappi. fi/lappi/tule> Accessed 15 th of August 2015.

Picture sources • Saxophone player <http: //www. abc. net. au/science/articles/2008/02/08/2157682. ht m? site=science/Askanexpert&topic=latest> Accessed 15 th of August 2015. • Chemistry bottles <https: //sites. google. com/a/chsd 117. org/cheekchemistry/> Accessed 15 th of August 2015. • Students <http: //blog. voki. com/2014/10/16/i-need-a-studybuddy/> Accessed 15 th of August 2015. • Rock <http: //biocircuits. ucsd. edu/outreach/? p=714> Accessed 15 th of August 2015. • Colorful heads <http: //www. bbc. co. uk/languages/edl/> Accessed 15 th of August 2015. • Knowledge questions <https: //tok-ajourney. wikispaces. com/Knowledge+Questions> Accessed 25 th of September 2017.