Download History - ToK Rocks

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How can we be absolutely certain something is true? (Does it truly “depend on
how you see it”?) Why can’t a degree of certainty be given? Dogmatism and
skepticism are both, in a sense, absolute philosophies; one is certain of knowing, the
other of not knowing. What philosophy should dissipate is certainty, whether of
knowledge or ignorance—Bertrand Russell
How important are emotion and perception (not necessarily limited to sense
perception) in understanding statistics? Example… numbers that are “too large” to
be real/conceptual to an audience don’t necessarily elicit the response intended and
often end up being far too abstract (and are ignored) www.toktalk.net video to support
(TED: Ideas Worth Speaking—Ted Jordan)
Should a knower’s personal point of view be considered an asset in the pursuit
of knowledge, or an a obstacle to overcome? Prescribed titles 2002-2003
“What distinguishes Areas of Knowledge from one another is not how ideas are
generated, but how they are evaluated.” Do you agree? Prescribed titles 20022003
If facts by themselves never prove or disprove anything, what else is involved
in the proof of a statement? Prescribed titles 2003-2004
“Words are more treacherous and powerful than we think.” Evaluate the extent
to which the characteristics Satire claims for words affect—negatively or
positively—different Areas of Knowledge. Prescribed titles 2003-2004
“In order to find out how things really are, one must understand the filters
through which one perceives the world.” Discuss and evaluate this claim.
Prescribed titles 2003-2004
Can we know something that has not yet been proven true?
What are the differences between “I am certain” and “It is certain”, and is
passionate conviction ever sufficient for justifying knowledge? Prescribed titles
2004-2005
All kinds of people in positions of authority make knowledge claims
(politicians, newscasters, academics, global companies, organizations, etc.). As
an “experienced” ToK student, what criteria do you use to distinguish between
knowledge, half truths (or propaganda) and opinion?
To what extent do personal attitudes affect Ways of Knowing and why, if at all,
does answering this question matter in the first place? Prescribed titles 20052006
Can a machine know?
Belief has been described as “certainty about what cannot be seen”. Does this
statement hold true in any, some or all Areas of Knowledge? Prescribed titles
2006-2007
Are some ways of knowing more likely that others to lead to truth?
“Context is all” (Margaret Atwood). Does this mean that there is no such thing
as truth? Prescribed titles 2007-2008
“Seek simplicity, and distrust it” (Alfred North Whitehead). Is this always good
advice for the knower? Prescribed titles 2008-2009
“In expanding the field of knowledge we but increase the horizon of ignorance”
(Henry Miller). Is this true? Prescribed titles 2008-2009
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“The knowledge that we value the most is the knowledge for which we can
provide the strongest justifications.” To what extent do you agree with this
claim? Prescribed titles 2008-2009
“There can be no knowledge without emotion…until we have felt the force of
the knowledge, it is not ours” (adapted from Arnold Bennett). Discuss this
vision of the relationship between knowledge and emotion. Prescribed titles
2008-2009
History:
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Does the way (the language) that certain historical events are presented in
history books influence the way that the reader understands these events?
What role does loaded language play when talking about historical events?
What role do connotation and denotation play when talking about historical
events?
Does language influence our view of the world? Is this true of other times in
history?
Which is the more important attitude of the historian: the ability to analyze
evidence scientifically, or the ability to develop interpretations of evidence using
creative imagination? Prescribed titles 2004-2005
Mathematics:
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To what extent is truth different in Mathematics?
Can Mathematics be both right and wrong at the same time?
How do Maths reflect the real world?
What is the relationship between Math and beauty?
The Arts:
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Is it necessary for art to go against moral and ethical conventions in order to be
considered “good” art? Where are the limits of the freedom of expression of art?
Must art provoke? It is necessary for good art to provoke emotion and lead to
discussion?
Can art be unethical? If yes, who defines it?
Does calling something art automatically justify a certain action or painting or
work? Does calling something “artistic” make it more moral or ethical?
(Connection to language—killing a fish in a blender is bad. Killing a small fish in
a blender and calling it art is good… or at least acceptable).
Should certain types of art be censored? Where does the freedom of expression
end?
Why do people get so excited about particular art exhibitions?
“The Arts deal in the particular, the individual and the personal while the
sciences deal in the general, the universal and the collective.” To what extent
does this statement obscure the nature of both Areas of Knowledge?
Can literature “tell the truth” better than other Arts or Areas of Knowledge?
Prescribed titles 2006-2007
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In Areas of Knowledge such as the Arts and the Sciences, do we learn more from
work that follows or that breaks accepted conventions? Prescribed titles 20072008
Ethics & Faith:
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Why are (the collective) we so attracted to reality TV shows? What is
categorized as reality TV? (Mythbusters vs. Jersey Shore)
What about the children on reality TV shows…is their view of what is real
skewed?
How can you or your societies decide ethically which knowledge should or
should not be persued?
“Our technologies establish the truth of many of our scientific laws.” Is there any
comparable means of establishing moral rules and norms? Prescribed titles
2003-2004
“All ethical statements are relative.” By examining the justifications for—and
implications of—making this claim, decide whether or not you agree with it.
Prescribed titles 2004-2005
What are ethical dilemmas? Look at two schools of thought for solving an ethical
dilemma (consequentialist school & deontological school) and discuss an ethical
dilemma such as lying. e.g. Is it the action itself that is immoral or is it the
premise behind the action (or the gain which results from the action)?
Human Sciences (Soft Science) & Experimental Sciences (Hard Science):
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Are there problems with conspiracy theories? Why, as a society, are we
attracted to them? What Areas of Knowledge thrive off the prospect of a
conspiracy theory?
Logical Positivism-Is the word “scientific” overused? Are claims wrapped in scientific terminology
more valid? Why would someone stake a claim using scientific terminology?
(medical/scientific/etc) Boris Podolsky “What is Science” 1965
Determinism refers to the idea that the future is not up to chance, the future can
be predicted. Determinism claims that if you had sufficient knowledge of the
current situation, then you could in theory predict the behavior of a system into
the future. What systems are deterministic…
Do you always need to conduct a real-life scientific experiment to find a valid
scientific conclusion?
Can everything in the world be explained with Physics?
“In science one tries to tell people, in such a way as to be understood by
everyone, something that no one ever knew before. But in poetry, it’s exactly the
opposite.” (P A M Dirac) Do both approaches suggested in the quotation enjoy
equal success in expanding human knowledge?
For some people science is the supreme form of all knowledge. Is this view
reasonable or does it involve a misunderstanding of science or of knowledge?
Prescribed titles 2004-2005
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It is often claimed that scientific results must be replicable. Is this possible or
desirable in other Areas of Knowledge? Prescribed titles 2006-2007
Logic & Reason:
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1784 Immanuel Kant in answering the question “What is Enlightenment” wrote:
“Enlightenment is man’s own emergence from his self-incurred immaturity.”
According to Kant, people themselves are responsible if they care in a state of
life-long immaturity b/c they let other people do the thinking for them. How
does this play into human rights? Moral and ethical traditions and reasoning?
Some people say that religious beliefs can be neither justified nor refuted by
reason. However, while sometimes this claim is used as a reason for rejecting
religious beliefs, at other times it is used to conclude that these beliefs are
established by faith. To what extent is faith a legitimate basis for knowledge
claims, in religion and different Areas of Knowledge? Prescribed titles 2005-2006
Sometimes we hear reasoned arguments that oppose a view to which we are
emotionally committed; sometimes we hear a passionate plea for a view we have
good reason to reject. Bearing this in mind, discuss the importance of reason
and emotion in distinguishing between belief and knowledge. Prescribed titles
2005-2006
Are reason and emotion equally important in justifying moral decisions?
Where/when do ethics come into play?
Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of reason as a way of knowing?
WoKs
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When should we trust our senses to give us the truth?