TOK Reflections Journal

Explanation --- Review of Key Requirements

Below are a select sampling of resources assigned for each unit in class; a comprehensive list can be found in modules on our Canvas LMS.

Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge

Core Theme: Knowledge & the Knower

Journals & Notes (PPT Slides) --- PDF File

Introduction to the book entitled Bullsh*t (John Grant, 2014)

Knowledge Distinctions - The Basis of Knowledge (Thank you, Amy Scott)

Intuitive v. Rational Judgment:  Introduction to Blink (Malcolm Gladwell)

Knowledge - Key Concepts (PPT Slides)

Notes on Truth Theories (Thank you fellow TOK Teacher, Amy Scott)

Truth Chapter --- Beyond Feelings, Chapter 3

TOK Basics Information Sheet (2020-2026 Curriculum)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Key Readings on the Knower

Bias & Prejudice - "Look Twice"

Belief & Memory - "Your Brain Lies to You"

Reality/Perspective - Plato's Allegory of the Cave

Choosing the Real - "The Experience Machine" - An Essay by Robert Nozick

Reality & Truth - "Plato's Cave & the Matrix" - An Essay
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Overview - Paradigms in the AoKs

Transition Unit/Core Theme: Knowledge & the Knower

Paradigm Notes (PPT Slides)

What is a Paradigm? - A Video Tutorial (Derek Hendrikz)

Making Sense of Paradigms Handout

Conventional Wisdom Handout
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mathematics as an Area of Knowledge

Optional Theme: Knowledge & Technology

Journals & Notes (PPT Slides)

Ways of Knowing Focus: Reason Notes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Natural Sciences as an Area of Knowledge

Optional Theme: Knowledge & Technology

Journals & Notes (PPT Slides)

Introduction to the Scientific Method (Univ. of Rochester)

Kuhn's Paradigm Shift - A Visual Metaphor (Video)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Human Sciences as an Area of Knowledge

Optional Theme: Knowledge & Technology

Journals & Notes (PPT Slides)

Video - What are Social Sciences?

Resource - Methodology in Human Sciences (MSS Research, India)

Video - What is Social Science Research? (Study.com)

Video - How are the Social Sciences Related? (Study.com)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

History as an Area of Knowledge

Optional Theme: Knowledge & Language

Journals & Notes (PPT Slides)

"Thinking Like a Historian" - Compliments of Khan Academy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Arts as an Area of Knowledge

Optional Theme: Knowledge & Language

Journal & Notes (PPT Slides)

TED Ed Video Considerations of the Arts

1) Who Decides What Art Means?

2) What is the Difference Between Art & Craft?

3) Music

4) Visual & 3-D Arts

5) More Visual Arts - Graffiti

6) Dance

7) Theatre

8) Poetic Stickup - Spoken Word
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Back to the Beginning - Knowledge in the World

Review of the Core Theme: Knowledge & the Knower

Journal & Notes (PPT Slides) - TBA

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Relevant Knowledge Questions 

Borrowed from Richard van de Lagemaat's Linking Questions in the Theory of Knowledge for the IB Diploma, Cambridge University Press, 2006.

THE NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE 

TRUTH:  Can we ever be certain of truth?

BELIEF:  Where does belief end and knowledge begin?

AUTHORITY:  To what extent should we accept knowledge by authority?

JUSTIFICATION:  What distinguishes a good justification from a bad one?

PARADIGMS:  What role do paradigms play in knowledge?

INFORMATION:  What is the difference between knowledge and information?

CONTEXT:  Does knowledge depend on context?

WISDOM:  What is the difference between knowledge and wisdom?

ACQUAINTANCE:  How does acquaintance differ from second-hand knowledge?

KNOW-HOW:  What is the relation between theory and practice?

***********

SOME PROBLEMS OF KNOWLEDGE 

p.18

PERCEPTION: How trustworthy are our senses?

LANGUAGE:  Does some knowledge lie beyond language?

REASON:  How can we justify logic?

EMOTION:  How reliable are our feelings and emotions?

MATHEMATICS:  How does math relate to the world?

ETHICS:  Are values objective or subjective?

NATURAL SCIENCES:  How certain is scientific knowledge?

THE ARTS:  Do the arts give us knowledge?

HUMAN SCIENCES:  Can human behavior be predicted?

HISTORY:  Can history be unbiased?

***********

TRUTH & WISDOM

p.462

PERCEPTION: How far can our senses be trusted to give us the truth?

LANGUAGE:  Does language hide the truth more than it reveals it?

REASON:  How important are coherence and consistency for truth?

EMOTION:  If you feel something deeply enough, does that make it true?

MATHEMATICS:  Are mathematical truths timeless and universal?

ETHICS:  Is truth more important than happiness?

NATURAL SCIENCES:  Is the scientific method the best way of trying to find the truth?

THE ARTS:  What relation, if any, is there between beauty and truth?

HUMAN SCIENCES:  Do human beings have any privileged access to the truth?

HISTORY:  Does the history of ideas suggest we are getting closer to the truth?

***********

SENSE PERCEPTION

p.104

LANGUAGE:  How does the way we describe something affect the way we see it?

REASON:  Which is a more reliable source of knowledge, reason or perception?

EMOTION:  How does your mood affect your perception of things?

MATHEMATICS:  Does perception play any role in mathematics?

ETHICS:  Do good people see the world differently from bad people?

NATURAL SCIENCES:  How far do expectations influence observations?

THE ARTS:  To what extent do the arts help us to see the world with new eyes?

HUMAN SCIENCES:  How does the act of observation influence what is observed?

HISTORY:  Should we trust eye-witness evidence?

***********

REASON 
p.140

LANGUAGE:  How can vague language lead to bad reasoning?

PERCEPTION:  Should we trust reason rather than perception?

EMOTION:  Can emotion be rational?

MATHEMATICS:  Can mathematics be reduced to logic?

ETHICS:  How important is consistency in moral reasoning?

NATURAL SCIENCES:  Is there a logic of scientific discovery?

THE ARTS:  What is the relation between creativity and rationality?

HUMAN SCIENCES:  Are human beings rational animals?

HISTORY:  What kinds of bad reasoning can typically be found in history?

***********

LANGUAGE 
p.78

PERCEPTION:  How does language affect the way we see things?

REASON:  How many arguments turn out to be about the meanings of words?

EMOTION:  Does the way you describe something affect how you feel about it?

MATHEMATICS:  How is mathematics like a language?

ETHICS:  Should offensive language be censored?

NATURAL SCIENCES:  What role do metaphors play in science?

THE ARTS:  Is art the language of the emotions?

HUMAN SCIENCES:  Is language unique to human beings?

HISTORY:  Is it possible to describe historical events in an unbiased way?

***********

EMOTION 
p.168

LANGUAGE:  Is language used more to describe or persuade?

REASON:  Are we driven more by reason or emotion?

PERCEPTION:  To what extent do emotions color our perceptions?

MATHEMATICS:  How important is intuition in mathematics?

ETHICS:  Is ethics more a matter of the heart than of the head?

NATURAL SCIENCES:  What does biology tell us about the emotions?

THE ARTS:  Do the arts provoke emotions or purge them?

HUMAN SCIENCES:  How much of a problem is bias in the social sciences?

HISTORY:  What role does empathy play in the historian's work?

***********