Theory of knowledge Theory of Knowledge 2. Maps and certainty Maps and certainty

Theory of knowledge Key questions How do we form concepts and ideas of the world? What do we need to be aware of? Of what do we feel certain in life? How sure can we be that any knowledge is certain? TOK

Theory of knowledge Our mental maps… What is a mental map? An idea of what is true and false, right and wrong – the way in which we understand the world and our place in it. Often called a ‘paradigm’ or system of thought/belief But how accurate/truthful are these maps? Should we rely on them completely? And what is truth anyway…? TOK: Mr Coxon

Theory of knowledge How ‘true’ is this map? TOK: Mr Coxon

Theory of knowledge Some ‘truths’… On the map, Greenland and Africa are the same size. In reality, Africa is fourteen times bigger than Greenland It is based on the convention that the northern hemisphere is at the top, and the southern hemisphere is at the bottom – but how accurate is this? Who is to say that Europe is in the centre of the world… and why has it been shown as such? TOK: Mr Coxon

Theory of knowledge Hobo Dryer projection TOK: Mr Coxon

Theory of knowledge By population… TOK: Mr Coxon

Theory of knowledge From the top? TOK: Mr Coxon

Theory of knowledge What does this tell us about how we should approach TOK? TOK: Mr Coxon

Theory of knowledge If our ideas and beliefs come from our family, friends, teachers, books and the media, and because we don’t have time to check that everything they tell us is true, there are bound to be lots of inaccuracies woven into our mental maps TOK: Mr Coxon

Theory of knowledge It is hard for us to think outside of our customs and conventions TOK: Mr Coxon

Theory of knowledge We can never fully map our experiences and understandings – maps are always representations – never complete in themselves TOK: Mr Coxon

Theory of knowledge What does this have to do with our discussion? TOK: Mr Coxon

Theory of knowledge Certainty List in order the five things in life that you are the most certain of Now, compare your list with someone else. Can you come to any agreement? TOK: Mr Coxon

Theory of knowledge How do you know that the below are true? 1.‘I know that the Twin Towers collapsed on September ’ 2.‘I know that oranges are orange’ 3.‘I know that if a is bigger than b, and b is bigger than c, then a is bigger than c’ 4.‘I know that murder is wrong’ TOK: Mr Coxon

Theory of knowledge How do you know that the below are true? 1.‘I know that the Twin Towers collapsed on September ’ –Were you there? 2.‘I know that oranges are orange’ –But what if you are colour blind? 3.‘I know that if a is bigger than b, and b is bigger than c, then a is bigger than c’ –So if some dentists are drunkards and no cyclists are drunkards, are some cyclists dentists? 4.‘I know that murder is wrong’ –Perhaps you do, but do others? Are you right? Can you be sure? TOK: Mr Coxon

Theory of knowledge The ultimate truth ‘I know that I exist’ –How do you know? –If you cannot get outside of your own existence, how do you know that you or others exist at all? –Perhaps we are in a dream, and our dreams are our reality… Is the fact that we can think about it proof that we are thinking beings, and therefore exist? TOK: Mr Coxon

Theory of knowledge In pairs... Reflect on what we have been talking about this session. What will you take away from this session, and what do you need more time on? What one question would you like to bring to next lesson, based on what we have been talking about today? TOK: Mr Coxon

Theory of knowledge In conclusion Our mental maps might not be as accurate or truthful as we might think… What we think is undoubtedly true might not be… TOK lessons explore these ideas and the problems that stem from them However – we need to maintain some perspective… or we might all go mad!!! TOK: Mr Coxon