ToK March 2013 Understanding Knowledge Questions.

Knowledge Questions When considering the support and evidence for a specific knowledge claim, e.g., “This painting is by Van Gogh”, we usually consider specific, claim- centered questions, e.g., “Is the color palette like the one Van Gogh used?” or “How is the paint applied to the canvass?” etc. These specific questions can give rise to more general questions regarding how knowledge is acquired, e.g., “What role do reason and perception play in identifying a work of visual art?”

Knowledge Questions Knowledge questions begin in real-life situations, e.g., magazine article on science and religion, attending a debate on faith vs. science, a thought one might entertain while studying biology As individuals reflect on the ideas engendered in this fashion, various ways of framing some of the questions involved come to mind Knowledge questions emerge as individuals move, in their thinking, from specific, subject-centered questions to more general questions about knowledge itself and how it is acquired

Knowledge Questions Real-life situation stated A description of a situation; subject/topic: Not a KQ Narrow question; implicitly about knowledge: Poor KQ Open-ended question; is explicitly about knowledge: Intermediate KQ Open-ended question; explicitly about knowledge; couched in terms of TOK vocabulary / concepts: Good KQ

Knowledge Questions Newspaper article/book review Physics and God (specific/concrete) How do religious people come to their beliefs? (poor) Are religious beliefs reasonable? (intermediate) How can reason be used to justify religious beliefs? (good)

Knowledge Questions TOK concepts can be found throughout the TOK Subject Guide. Concepts drawn from Areas of Knowledge, Ways of Knowing and Linking Questions centering on knowledge, knowing, acquiring knowledge and problems associated with knowledge are TOK concepts. Examples include: belief, certainty, truth, culture, evidence, experience, explanation, interpretation, intuition, authority, values, proof

Knowledge Questions

Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb during WWII Military Strategy Was using the bomb the only option available to Truman? How can we determine if wartime decisions are right? How, if at all, can truth in history be established?