1. And the search for truth. Knowledge

2. Knowing: Introduction to a classification scheme In ToK we may treat knowledge as falling into 3 categories. These 3 categories however, are not distinct and may have many areas that intersect.

3. Classification scheme: 1. Knowing through direct experience….. 2. Knowing how….. 3. Knowing that….. (decide which types of knowledge are which…from your handout)

4. Knowing that… This category is probably the most important when it comes to ToK. They ALL make a knowledge claim. Any statement that you make that you can put ‘I know that….’ is referred to as a knowledge claim. In ToK we will be looking mainly at knowledge claims and deciding how we could know if they are true or not.

5. I know Beijing… I have been to Beijing. In what ways is my knowledge different from that of someone who has only just seen pictures and read about it?

6. I know that in the Galapagos Islands there are many endemic species How does ‘Knowing that in the …” differ from the direct experience of going there?

7. I know how to ride a bike…. In which ways is a skill different from the two other forms of knowing?

8. Reflection questions….. Which ways of knowing – sense perception, language, emotion and reasoning are most relevant to the 3 different types of knowing? If you say ‘I know about that…” OR ‘I’ve heard about that…’ which category will you put it into? In which of the three categories of knowledge is it relevant to talk about true or false?

9. Knowledge claims do you believe it: Read the article about Red Bull. Do you believe it? (what is ‘it’) Why or why not? Evidence: Visual presentation, would it make you inclined to accept or doubt the information? Style of writing does it make you inclined to accept or reject it? Do you believe the people making the knowledge claims are reliable? Do you find that your prior knowledge about science, magic and the unexplained affect how you respond?

10. Knowledge claims: tests for truth Assessing a knowledge claim and deciding if it is ‘true’ or ‘false’ is rarely as straightforward as the red bull article. There are 3 main tests that can be used to assess the likelihood for truth in a knowledge claim. Coherence test; Correspondence test; Pragmatic test. We can use these tests to evaluate a knowledge claim’s merits and decide where to place a knowledge claim between the extremes of true and false.

11. Coherence test Does this knowledge claim fit with what you already know? This test requires that this knowledge claim fits in harmony with all the other knowledge claims that you have accepted. Problems: What are the problems that you can identify with using a body of Beliefs already held to judge the new claim? Is it possible for 2 different people using the coherence test to reach different conclusions? Impossible for a human to have the ability to acquire all the facts of an experience.

12. Correspondence test Often referred to as the ‘Go and check!’ ‘The White House is in Washington DC’ you carry out additional tests of truth to see if it is. Problems: Is it possible for two people to carry out a correspondence test on a knowledge claim and reach a different conclusion? Requires additional tests of truth, assumption is that these are true.

13. Pragmatic test If an idea works then it must be true. I have a throat infection, I am treated with penicillin. The throat infection clears up. Therefore the therapeutic value and effect of penicillin is proven in its administration. Problems: Possible to get a false positive. Could be a valid test of truth in terms of negative pragmatism. If it does not work it can not be true. Does this work?

14. Certainty We can never obtain complete certainty about any knowledge claim Therefore we have to set our goals in accepting knowledge claims to “highly plausible /probable” You can or a community of knowers can say the phrase ‘I am certain that…..’ This reflects that the person or community are totally convinced and this does not apply to the claim, it is known as psychological certainty. Even when we are not psychologically certain, what are the reasons we give for accepting one claim rather than another?

15. What are good reasons for believing knowledge claims? Read the situations given to you. For each discuss in groups of 3 responses to these 2 questions: 1. What truth tests can I apply and with what conclusion? 2. What reasons can I give for believing or not believing?