1. Knowledge Issues and How to go about your ToK Presentation

2. Good KI OK KI Poor KI Not a KI
An open question, explicitly about Knowledge
Couched in (abstract) ToK terms
OK KI
An open question, explicitly about Knowledge.
Poor KI
A closed question or one that is implicitly about Knowledge
Not a KI
A statement or a closed question, about a subject specific issue rather than about Knowledge per se
To what extent can human sciences use mathematical techniques to make accurate predictions?
How can we use models to predict crime waves?
Will police crime predictions turn out to be correct?
How can we prevent crime?

3. Good KI OK KI Poor KI Not a KI
An open question, explicitly about Knowledge
Couched in abstract ToK terms
OK KI
An open question, explicitly about Knowledge.
Poor KI
A closed question or one that is implicitly about Knowledge
Not a KI
A statement or a closed question, about a subject specific issue rather than about Knowledge per se
How can it be that two systems of knowledge, giving two different explanations for the same phenomenon can both be true?
How could we test whether acupuncture is effective?
Will acupuncture heal a certain medical condition?
Acupuncture

4. ? ? OK KI Good KI Poor KI Not a KI Why is Utilitarianism appealing?
An open question, explicitly about Knowledge
Couched in abstract ToK terms
OK KI
An open question, explicitly about Knowledge.
Poor KI
A closed question, implicitly about Knowledge
Not a KI
A statement or a closed question, about a subject specific issue rather than about Knowledge per se ? ?
1 How should we use reason and emotion in reaching ethical principles?
2 Does doing ‘the greatest good for the greatest number’ make sense?
Why is Utilitarianism appealing?
Utilitarianism

5. ? ? Good KI OK KI Poor KI Is swine flu likely to kill millions?
An open question, explicitly about Knowledge
Couched in ToK terms
OK KI
An open question, explicitly about Knowledge.
Poor KI
A closed question, implicitly about Knowledge
Not a KI
A statement or a closed question, about a subject specific issue rather than about Knowledge per se ? ?
1 In absence of certainly, how should we justify our beliefs about the risk posed by swine flu?
2 How can we know if swine flu will kill millions?
Is swine flu likely to kill millions?
What do we mean by an 'epidemic’?

6. ? ? ? Good KI OK KI Poor KI Not a KI The credit crisis
An open question, explicitly about Knowledge
Couched in ToK terms
OK KI
An open question, explicitly about Knowledge.
Poor KI
A closed question, implicitly about Knowledge
Not a KI
A statement or a closed question, about a subject specific issue rather than about Knowledge per se ? ?
1 In absence of certainly, how should we justify our beliefs about the risk posed by swine flu?
2 How can we know if swine flu will kill millions? ?
The credit crisis

7. Your own ideas? Good KI OK KI Poor KI Not a KI
An open question, explicitly about Knowledge
Couched in ToK terms
OK KI
An open question, explicitly about Knowledge.
Poor KI
A closed question, implicitly about Knowledge
Not a KI
A statement or a closed question, about a subject specific issue rather than about Knowledge per se
Your own ideas?

8. Good Knowledge Issues are:
Open questions explicitly about Knowledge per se and not subject-specific claims
Couched in the language of ToK – evidence, belief, objective, subjective, necessary and sufficient conditions, culture, explanation, interpretation, truth, experience, values areas of knowledge and/or ways of knowing.

9. Theory of Knowledge: Presentation Structure
Real-Life Situation
extraction
Knowledge Issue
(recognized)

10. Theory of Knowledge: Presentation Structure
Real-Life Situation
extraction
Knowledge Issue
(recognized)
Knowledge Issue(s)
(developed)
progression

11. Theory of Knowledge: Presentation Structure
Real-Life Situation
application
extraction
Knowledge Issue
(recognized)
Knowledge Issue(s)
(developed)
progression

12. Theory of Knowledge: Presentation Structure
Other Real-Life
Situation
Real-Life Situation
Other Real-Life
Situation
application
extraction
Knowledge Issue
(recognized)
Knowledge Issue(s)
(developed)
progression

13. Example 1
Conspiracy Theories
What are the strengths and weaknesses of this structure?

14. Conspiracy
Da Vinci
Code

15. Conspiracy
Da Vinci
Code
Why do conspiracy
theories exist?

16. Da Vinci Code Conspiracy Why do conspiracy theories exist?
People believe
what’s
most appealing
Different
Interpretations of
the same facts
Biases affecting
conclusions
drawn

17. Da Vinci Code Conspiracy Death of JFK Death of Benazir Bhutto
Why do conspiracy
theories exist?
People believe
what’s
most appealing
Different
Interpretations of
the same facts
Biases affecting
conclusions
drawn

18. Example 2
Limits of Science
What are the strengths and weaknesses of this structure?

19. How far is science limited in finding out the truth about reality?
Limits of Science
Documentary on
the Large
Hadron Collider
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. It was built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) from 1998 to 2008, with the aim of allowing physicists to test the predictions of different theories of particle physics and high-energy physics, and particularly that of the existence of the hypothesized Higgs boson[1] and of the large family of new particles predicted by supersymmetric theories.[2] The LHC is expected to address some of the most fundamental questions of physics, advancing human understanding of the deepest laws of nature. It contains six detectors each designed for specific kinds of exploration.
The LHC lies in a tunnel 27 kilometres (17 mi) in circumference, as deep as 175 metres (574 ft) beneath the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, Switzerland. Its synchrotron is designed to collide opposing particle beams of either protons at up to 7 teraelectronvolts (7 TeV or 1.12 microjoules) per nucleon, or lead nucli at an energy of 574 TeV (92.0 µJ) per nucleus (2.76 TeV per nucleon-pair).[3][4] It was built in collaboration with over 10,000 scientists and engineers from over 100 countries, as well as hundreds of universities and laboratories.[5]
On 4 July 2012, the CMS and the ATLAS experimental teams at the Large Hadron Collider independently announced that they each confirmed the formal discovery of a previously unknown boson of mass between 125 and 127 GeV/c2, whose behaviour so far has been "consistent with" a Higgs boson. Proof of the Higgs field (by observing the associated particle) and evidence of its properties are likely to greatly affect human understanding of the universe, validate the final unconfirmed part of the Standard Model as essentially correct, indicate which of several current particle physics theories are more likely correct, and open up "new" physics beyond current theories.[12] If the Higgs boson were shown not to exist, other alternative sources for the Higgs mechanism would need to be considered.
How far is science
limited in finding
out the truth about
reality?

20. Limits of Science Documentary on the Large Hadron Collider
Nature of
scientific
method
How far is science
limited in finding out
reality?
Definitions of
science
Definition of
reality

21. Limits of Science Documentary on the Large Hadron Collider Nature of
Colour
illusions
Astronomy
Limits of human
sensory perception
Situations not
amenable to experimentation
Nature of
scientific
method
Dynamic change
How far is science
limited in finding out
reality?
Problems of
inductive reasoning
Role of
technology in
science
Incompatibility
between scientific
and moral claims
Definitions of
science
Definition of
reality
Differences
between ‘how’ and ‘why’
questions

22. Limits of Science Documentary on the Large Hadron Collider Nature of
Gödel’s
theorem
Colour
illusions
Astronomy
Limits of human
sensory perception
Situations not
amenable to experimentation
Nature of
scientific
method
Mathematics
Axioms must be
taken for granted
Dynamic change
How far is science
limited in finding out
reality?
Problems of
inductive reasoning
History
the past is
beyond our grasp
Role of
technology in
science
Human sciences
Human behaviour
is unpredictable
Incompatibility
between scientific
and moral claims
Definitions of
science
Definition of
reality
Differences
between ‘how’ and ‘why’
questions

23. Limits of Science Documentary on the Large Hadron Collider Nature of
Medicine
HIV treatment
Gödel’s
theorem
Colour
illusions
Astronomy
Limits of human
sensory perception
Situations not
amenable to experimentation
Nature of
scientific
method
Mathematics
Axioms must be
taken for granted
How far is science
limited in finding out
reality?
Problems of
inductive reasoning
History
the past is
beyond our grasp
Successes
of science?
Role of
technology in
science
Human sciences
Human behaviour
is unpredictable
Incompatibility
between scientific
and moral claims
Definitions of
science
Definition of
reality
Differences
between ‘how’ and ‘why’
questions

24. Limits of Science Documentary on the Large Hadron Collider Nature of
Medicine
HIV treatment
Gödel’s
theorem
Colour
illusions
Astronomy
Limits of human
sensory perception
Situations not
amenable to experimentation
Nature of
scientific
method
Mathematics
Axioms must be
taken for granted
Dynamic change
How far is science
limited in finding out
reality?
Problems of
inductive reasoning
History
the past is
beyond our grasp
Successes
of science?
Role of
technology in
science
Human sciences
Human behaviour
is unpredictable
Incompatibility
between scientific
and moral claims
Definitions of
science
Definition of
reality
Differences
between ‘how’ and ‘why’
questions

25. Example 3
Claims in History
What are the strengths and weaknesses of this structure?

26. Description of Holocaust Claims in History President Ahmedinejad’s
denial of the
Jewish Holocaust
Description
of Holocaust
Auschwitz

27. Description of Holocaust Under what circumstances can a
Claims in History
President
Ahmedinejad’s
denial of the
Jewish Holocaust
Description
of Holocaust
Auschwitz
Under what
circumstances can a
historical claim be
considered valid?

28. Description of Holocaust Claims in History President Ahmedinejad’s
denial of the
Jewish Holocaust
Description
of Holocaust
Auschwitz
Importance of history
Understanding the present
Predicting the future
Knowing identity
Other problems:
gaps, language issues,
past interpreted in terms
of present, etc.
Under what
circumstances can a
historical claim be
considered certain?
Why should we care
about historical truth?
Is there a
True history?
Role of bias and
Interpretation in history:
emotion, culture, etc.
Explanation of
the concept of
validity in relation
to historical evidence

29. Claims in History President Description Ahmedinejad’s of Holocaust
denial of the
Jewish Holocaust
Description
of Holocaust
Auschwitz
Wall Street crash
Phlogiston
“Witchhunt” of
communists in USA
The phlogiston theory (from the Ancient Greek φλογιστόν phlogistón "burning up", from φλόξ phlóx "flame"), first stated in 1667 by Johann Joachim Becher, is an obsolete scientific theory that postulated the existence of a fire-like element called "phlogiston", which was contained within combustible bodies and released during combustion. The theory was an attempt to explain processes of burning such as combustion and the rusting of metals, which are now collectively known as oxidation.
Importance of history
Understanding the present
Predicting the future
Knowing identity
Other problems:
gaps, language issues,
past interpreted in terms
of present, etc.
Under what
circumstances can a
historical claim be
considered valid?
Why should we care
about historical truth?
Is there a
True history?
Role of bias and
Interpretation in history:
emotion, culture, etc.
Explanation of
the concept of
validity in relation
to historical evidence

30. Description of Holocaust Claims in History President Ahmedinejad’s
denial of the
Jewish Holocaust
Description
of Holocaust
Auschwitz
Wall Street crash
Phlogiston
“Witchhunt” of
communists in USA
Validity of claims in
Mathematics and
Science…
Importance of history
Understanding the present
Predicting the future
Knowing identity
Other problems:
gaps, language issues,
past interpreted in terms
of present, etc.
Under what
circumstances can a
historical claim be
considered valid?
Validity of claims
in Art…
Why should we care
about historical truth?
Is there a
True history?
Validity of claims
in Ethics…
Role of bias and
Interpretation in history:
emotion, culture, etc.
Explanation of
the concept of
validity in relation
to historical evidence

31. Description of Holocaust Claims in History President Ahmedinejad’s
Auschwitz
President
Ahmedinejad’s
denial of the
Jewish Holocaust
???
Wall Street crash
Phlogiston
“Witchhunt” of
communists in USA
Validity of claims in
Mathematics and
Science…
Importance of history
Understanding the present
Predicting the future
Knowing identity
Other problems:
gaps, language issues,
past interpreted in terms
of present, etc.
Under what
circumstances can a
historical claim be
considered valid?
Validity of claims
in Art…
Why should we care
about historical truth?
Is there a
True history?
Validity of claims
in Ethics…
Role of bias and
Interpretation in history:
emotion, culture, etc.
Explanation of
the concept of
validity in relation
to historical evidence