davis0621 Posted October 21, 2012 Report Share Posted October 21, 2012 I'm working on the TOK title paper, and I wanted to see what others think of this title.Title #3: "The possession of knowledge carries an ethical responsibility." Evaluate this claim.No one in my class is doing this title and I need some help. I want to affirm the claim, and say that knowing something carries a responsibility to act to either prevent harm, uphold principles of integrity (in a case of lying or cheating), and/or to spread wellness.I have a definition in mind for ethical responsibility, but not for "Possession of knowledge" yet.I want to take this in the direction of Ethics and Human Sciences. With a focus in emotion and reason.Any help? 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonathanSpencer Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 (edited) Hi check out this Facebook TOK page - it has some good ideas for you. :-) Edited November 3, 2012 by JonathanSpencer Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Efta Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 Anyone with any pointers on this? Our classtime with TOK has been rather meek, and everything is appreciated. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Award Winning Boss Posted November 18, 2012 Report Share Posted November 18, 2012 No one in my class is doing this title and I need some help. I want to affirm the claim, and say that knowing something carries a responsibility to act to either prevent harm, uphold principles of integrity (in a case of lying or cheating), and/or to spread wellness.I have a definition in mind for ethical responsibility, but not for "Possession of knowledge" yet.Why can't you just take the 'possession of knowledge' as knowing something? Anyone with any pointers on this? Our classtime with TOK has been rather meek, and everything is appreciated.Can't you think of anything for this question? You have to at least contribute a little bit to get some help. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
-._._.- Posted November 19, 2012 Report Share Posted November 19, 2012 I don't know if this is 'deep' enough, but can you say that the possession of knowledge is having some information that can be used? The facebook TOK page that Jonathan recommended suggested distinguishing between knowing something and actually using that knowledge. It said that ethical responsibility comes from how you use your knowledge and not just having the knowledge. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
haninmt Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 Is it a good idea to include a personal experience in my essay regarding this topic? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkHyldmo Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 Is it a good idea to include a personal experience in my essay regarding this topic?You should always include personal examples in your essay! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich Posted November 26, 2012 Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 An interesting thought might be how we interpret responsibility. Does responsibility always mean a logical reasoned response/reaction to whatever it is we now know about that raises an ethical issue? Or can you be ethically responsible for something in an emotional way only?An example might be the famous "You see a train hurtling at unstoppable speed down a railway. However, on the main track, right in the path of the train, you can also see three people who are all completely oblivious to the train coming. Even if you shouted and did your best, you'd never be able to warn them to get them out the way in time. You also see that on a siding to the railway, there's only one person standing there. As it happens, you're standing right next to the lever which diverts the train from one side of the track to the other. At the moment, it's heading for the 3 people, but you might just have time to change it so that instead it goes down the side towards 1 person. What do you do?"In this case it might be interesting to think about what you'd be responsible for. Are you ethically responsible just because you know about the situation? Would you be responsible if you moved the lever? Would you be responsible for the death of the 3 people if you didn't move the lever?It's interesting because it raises the issue of whether you would be responsible not only for your actions but also your inactions. And how does responsibility manifest? Looking at guilt and emotional feelings of responsibility would certainly be a thought-provoking area. I would say I often feel responsible for things not entirely in my power - and through an emotional guilt simply that I knew about it or was an observer rather than a logical feeling that I could have done something. It might be interesting in the essay to examine this distinction and thereby look at Ways of Knowing as well as the title question. 4 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markee Posted January 6, 2013 Report Share Posted January 6, 2013 Does anyone know of an Ethically Responsible real life situation? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hphgrw Posted January 10, 2013 Report Share Posted January 10, 2013 I was wondering the same thing. With this topic is it better to stick to real world examples rather than the hypothetical? Because I have some ideas for hypothetical examples where I can include the different WoK and AoK but if it should all real world thing that have happened I'm afraid I only have a one sided arguement so far. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocku Posted January 13, 2013 Report Share Posted January 13, 2013 I was wondering the same thing. With this topic is it better to stick to real world examples rather than the hypothetical? Because I have some ideas for hypothetical examples where I can include the different WoK and AoK but if it should all real world thing that have happened I'm afraid I only have a one sided arguement so far.I believe it's not recommended to use hypothetical situations. But it's possible, as long as it enhances your explanation of your KI. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florian Priv Posted January 27, 2013 Report Share Posted January 27, 2013 Hey I have chosen this title and have made a first draft. However i am not very happy with it and would now like to change my dealing with the AoKs. I was thinking about choosing the arts and the human/nat. sciences with examples that a piece of art does not carry an ethical responsibility alone but may get it in connection to its context. i.e.: that a photo of a starving child may carry an ethical responsibility. for the sciences I was thinking about doctors and maybe even EinstenI'd be greatful for help!!! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kine Turtleface Posted January 30, 2013 Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 I'm working on the exact same thing. The great internet advised me to challenge the claim at first, and also to look at assumptions. This title assumes that ALL KINDS of knowledge will carry an ethical responsibility. I will try to look onto the differences between practical and theoretical knowledge. For instance if you know how to cook a meal, is it your responsibility to rid the world of starvation? That's practical knowledge. On the other hand, if this recipe DOES make it possible to rid the world of starvation, we can start talking about ethical responsibility. The recipe might be something you've made yourself and that you want to keep a secret, but if you share it it might save lives. It's probably not a great example, but you probably catch my drift here. Do you guys think I'm totally wrong here, or does anyone agree? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markee Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 Well to be honest, I've been told to not use hypothetical examples despite supporting my arguments so real life examples are absolute and I'm dealing with Natural vs Human Science here. And i don't think there is any right or wrong answers here it's just a matter of whether your arguments are valid enough to be backed up by your examples and if it follows the bloody criteria Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplelily8 Posted February 18, 2013 Report Share Posted February 18, 2013 Hey.I'm writing on the same title, I already started writing and right now have around 1000 words. I just need a liitle help or guidance. Throghout my essay i disscussed about Ethics and how flexible it is I also talked about natural sciences, religion and emotions. I heard giving experiences is important but for some reason I feel my essay is weak.Can someone please provide some advice??Thanks. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowSpider Posted July 28, 2013 Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 An interesting thought might be how we interpret responsibility. Does responsibility always mean a logical reasoned response/reaction to whatever it is we now know about that raises an ethical issue? Or can you be ethically responsible for something in an emotional way only?An example might be the famous "You see a train hurtling at unstoppable speed down a railway. However, on the main track, right in the path of the train, you can also see three people who are all completely oblivious to the train coming. Even if you shouted and did your best, you'd never be able to warn them to get them out the way in time. You also see that on a siding to the railway, there's only one person standing there. As it happens, you're standing right next to the lever which diverts the train from one side of the track to the other. At the moment, it's heading for the 3 people, but you might just have time to change it so that instead it goes down the side towards 1 person. What do you do?"In this case it might be interesting to think about what you'd be responsible for. Are you ethically responsible just because you know about the situation? Would you be responsible if you moved the lever? Would you be responsible for the death of the 3 people if you didn't move the lever?It's interesting because it raises the issue of whether you would be responsible not only for your actions but also your inactions. And how does responsibility manifest? Looking at guilt and emotional feelings of responsibility would certainly be a thought-provoking area. I would say I often feel responsible for things not entirely in my power - and through an emotional guilt simply that I knew about it or was an observer rather than a logical feeling that I could have done something. It might be interesting in the essay to examine this distinction and thereby look at Ways of Knowing as well as the title question.perfect example i have to write a mock essay on this topic and thanks to your example i just found out that my understanding of the title was incomplete.. cheers man.. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luka Petrovic Posted July 28, 2013 Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 (edited) This was my topic! For assessment my teacher gave me an A, that being said my final mark was a B I like to start TOK essays with a quote and this time I actually did it with two. The first being attributed to Sir Francis Bacon "Knowledge is Power" and then a quote from the gospel of Luke I think... I can't remember it exactly, but it essentially said that one who wields power of others must wield it righteously. So my essay centered on knowledge having an ethical responsibility because with it, you were given power to do things over others, supersede others or changers others lives. I would seriously suggest looking at Plato's allegory of the cave if you haven't already in TOK class, its all about knowledge and ethical decisions, its analysis will deepen your essay immensely.Feel free to message me if you want some suggestions, etc Edited July 28, 2013 by Luka Petrovic 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sally3 Posted July 4, 2014 Report Share Posted July 4, 2014 I chose the same title for my essay but i need help to find some examples! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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