Ways of knowing TOK1 LAJM

Eight ways of knowing (WOKs) WOKs can be thought as possible sources of knowledge

TASK Try to give at least one everyday example of each WOK in action

WOKs overlap Borders between WOKs are blurred Group work: do the task on WOKs overlapping in seven groups

Best WOK? Can you rank different WOKs? If you can, try to give reasons for this.

Some schools of thought (1) Empiricism All knowledge is ultimately based on perceptual experience

Some schools of thought (2) Rationalism Reason is the most important source of knowledge

Some schools of thought (3) Romanticism Emphasizes the importance of intuitions, emotions and imagination for making sense of the world

Some schools of thought (4) Fideism Knowledge is ultimately based on faith

TASK Which one of these schools of thought is most plausible? Can you give any reasons for and against these schools of thought?

Pros and cons of WOK’s

Other ways of knowing? In the IB TOK curriculum eight WOKs are mentioned Are they all justifiable as genuine ways of knowing? Can we have any other ways to know?

Picture sources WOKs <http://blogs.osc-ib.com/tag/ways-of-knowing/> Accessed 6th of September 2015. Blurry line <http://sankarit.fi/media/2014/06/> Accessed 6th of September 2015. John Locke <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empiricism> Accessed 5th of September. René Descartes <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/René_Descartes> Accessed 5th of September.

Picture sources John Keats <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Keats> Accessed 5th of September. G. K. Chesterton <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._K._Chesterton> Accessed 5th of September 2016. David Hume <https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume> Accessed 5th of September 2016. Double edged WOKs van de Lagemaat, Richard: Theory of Knowledge for the IB Diploma, Second edition, Cambridge University Press 2015, page 74.