IS10 Posted January 3, 2009 Report Share Posted January 3, 2009 Hello, I'm starting to work on my TOK paper, and I was wondering if someone could give me a starting point for the following question:"How can the different ways of knowing help us to distinguish between something that is true and something that is believed to be true?"Would this essentially be discussing how we use emotion, reason, sensory perception and language to analyze situations and ideas, in order to delineate which are in fact true, and which are not?I think this is the right path, but I have a feeling that it isn't (Reason vs emotion lol). So if someone would like to help me out, that would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisalisa313 Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 Hello, I'm starting to work on my TOK paper, and I was wondering if someone could give me a starting point for the following question:"How can the different ways of knowing help us to distinguish between something that is true and something that is believed to be true?"Would this essentially be discussing how we use emotion, reason, sensory perception and language to analyze situations and ideas, in order to delineate which are in fact true, and which are not?I think this is the right path, but I have a feeling that it isn't (Reason vs emotion lol). So if someone would like to help me out, that would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance. I think you might also want to go beyond emotion and reason and also talk about how something can be determined as true? Does an individual belief that something is true make it so, or does a community/group consensus make something true? What about something without "evidence" such as a religion. Many believe they are true, but not everyone. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
avrila Posted January 8, 2009 Report Share Posted January 8, 2009 I already done with my TOK essay. And since you are asking for opinions, I suggest that you first chose your Area of Knowledge. Any two will be fine. In this case may be you can talk in term of History and Natural Science. And bring in the Ways of knowing that mostly related to this AoK. You can chose anything like as you mention reasons, emotion, language,...As long as you can find a suitable example, you can write it on. It is better if you can chose example that you experience by your self. Last time , I heard my TOK teacher told us that IBO is looking for originality and something that is closely related to you. It shows how far you are into TOK. Well, all the best. p/s: Sorry if I not really answering your questions... 3 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
australiANgel Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 hey everyone,i am writing my TOK essay on the topic "How can the different ways of knowing help us to distinguish between something that is true and something that is believed to be true?"the more i read into this the more confusing it gets. there are so many different opinions about what is truth, and some people say that truth doesn't even exist... which just makes my head spin even more =(does anyone have any ideas about this? i really need some help!thank you everyone Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
avrila Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 "How can the different ways of knowing help us to distinguish between something that is true and something that is believed to be true?"First of all, you have to list the four ways of knowing. Reasons, emotion, perception and language (correct me if I am wrong)Of course these ways of knowing will lead you to different knowledge. For example, for a scientist, they believe that something is true by doing experiment and justify the reasons with empirical evidence. This support what they believe in. When compared to people who do not learn science, they perceive the same knowledge through language. They only understand what is written in the book. They have to believe that the knowledge is true the same way the scientist believed it to be true. The level of understanding is different for different group of people. This is due to the knowledge that they have authority in which needs different ways of knowing to understand it. May be you can focus on certain AoK. Say, antural science and History. Chose anything that is appropriate and close to your understanding. It is best if you can include your own experience as example. At the end of your essay, you should make your stand whether you support the statement or not. All he best... Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
balloon Posted January 23, 2009 Report Share Posted January 23, 2009 TRUTH:Is generally a sensory perceived phenomenon, reinforced by human consensus. Something is accepted as truth when there are no reasonable grounds why it should be doubted. Truth is being certain. When the ancient Greeks believed that the sun was a god in his flaming chariot, they believed it to be true, but did not know it to be true because it was not justified. Truth implies justification. There are many things about our world we can now justify as being true, due to new technologies, but there are still innumerable things that we actually only believe to be true, with no real justification. For example, we often take for granted the belief that space is infinite. We see is as cold hard fact, but really, we don't actually know, we just believe it to be true. So truth generally requires:Support from all 4 ways of knowing (as above)Consensus among nature and humanityNo standing contradictionsReasonable justification that the truth is 'permanent'Otherwise, we just believe it to be true. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dip Sngni Posted May 17, 2009 Report Share Posted May 17, 2009 Hey guys, I'm working on this paper right now and I'm pretty stuck with the language and emotion aspect to the question. I don't really understand how emotion is a way of knowing. Language to me is a medium as to how people express and try to understand the truth, but besides that I'm not really sure. I understand perception and reason, the other two have me confused though. Any help would be much appreciated. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lulzpup Posted May 18, 2009 Report Share Posted May 18, 2009 alright so I'm going to be discussing PLato's Divided Line for this question [it will be the majority of my essay]Unfortunately, I don't know how to get started. I need to keep rereading about it so I can write.meh. well, one uses emotion as a way of believing something is true, such as the existence of God, IMOlanguage can be manipulated to create "truth" such as Hitler's Big Liealso, in regards to Hitler [i keep bringing him up in my essay hahah] he used emotion as a way of determining that the Jewish people were causing the problems in Germany. They came from Russia, run by Communism, and that's what Germany [and Italy] feared most after WWIso yeah....that's just my thoughts Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bouss Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Hi everyone,I'm new to the forum... and I've joined because I think it is awesome that there is a website so that we can all work together to get through the tough stretches of IB...Also, I'm trying to start writing my TOK essay and I'm having some trouble in terms of where to start.I was thinking that I should start by taking point form notes before actually putting the essay into paragraph form... what do you guys think?Here is my topic:How can the different ways of knowing help us to distinguish between something that is true and something that is believed to be true? Maybe I could take the 4 ways of knowing and show the strengths and weaknesses of each one?Any suggestions? LINKS? Good sources??THANKS! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 alright so I'm going to be discussing PLato's Divided Line for this question [it will be the majority of my essay]Unfortunately, I don't know how to get started. I need to keep rereading about it so I can write.meh. I'm not 100% sure that the divided line is a grea place to start (and definitely not to have as the majority of your essay!). Do you do Philosophy, and have you read the Republic? Otherwise I'd really avoid it. Plato's divided line isn't really TOK except for that it does attempt to distinguish somewhat between knowledge and belief. The things you SHOULD take from the divided line are his concepts of abstract knowledge and knowledge based on assumption, knowledge based on observation etc. What you SHOULDN'T take from the divided line is actually the concept of the divided line and its categories themselves. Knowledge (as in dialectic knowledge, Part A of the divided line) is knowledge of the Forms, not general dialectic reasoning. Similarly Plato's division of epistome from belief is not a brilliant one either, as it's ALL based on whether one knows the Forms or not.Trust me when I say that even TOK, in all its mysteriousness, is less mysterious than the Forms xP You'd be well to stay very clear of them. Even if you have read the Republic and comprehended all Plato's ideas, you must admit that the Forms are what his explanations hinge on and are possibly the product of an overactive imagination. Definitely take from it a division between knowledge and belief in terms of assumptions, but I'd actually steer clear of all his mental stuff about seeing things in puddles, because all of that stuff requires reference to the Forms.That is just my advice Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Also, I'm trying to start writing my TOK essay and I'm having some trouble in terms of where to start.I was thinking that I should start by taking point form notes before actually putting the essay into paragraph form... what do you guys think?Here is my topic:How can the different ways of knowing help us to distinguish between something that is true and something that is believed to be true? Maybe I could take the 4 ways of knowing and show the strengths and weaknesses of each one?Any suggestions? LINKS? Good sources??I would defnitely structure your essay out before you write it, and actually I'd agree with your structure. Something along the lines of:- definition of truth- definition of belief and how it differs from 'truth'- way of knowing #1 with example from area of knowledge- way of knowing #2 with example from area of knowledge- #3 w/example- #4 w/example- summary, conclusionMake sure you have that introductory section, though.http://uwcac.org.uk/acad/thok/tentips_e_2.htm <-- I found that site very useful when writing mine 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bouss Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Also, I'm trying to start writing my TOK essay and I'm having some trouble in terms of where to start.I was thinking that I should start by taking point form notes before actually putting the essay into paragraph form... what do you guys think?Here is my topic:How can the different ways of knowing help us to distinguish between something that is true and something that is believed to be true? Maybe I could take the 4 ways of knowing and show the strengths and weaknesses of each one?Any suggestions? LINKS? Good sources??I would defnitely structure your essay out before you write it, and actually I'd agree with your structure. Something along the lines of:- definition of truth- definition of belief and how it differs from 'truth'- way of knowing #1 with example from area of knowledge- way of knowing #2 with example from area of knowledge- #3 w/example- #4 w/example- summary, conclusionThanks so much!When you say: "way of knowing #1 with example from area of knowledge"does that mean for example showing the strengths and weaknesses of emotion and then showing an AoK in which emotion can help us to find truth?Then should I also include another AoK where emotion can only give us belief? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich Posted May 25, 2009 Report Share Posted May 25, 2009 Well more or less you get points for relating Areas of Knowledge and Ways of Knowing together, so if you can get your examples to demonstrate you can spot a clear cross-link between Ways of Knowing and Areas of Knowledge as well as DIVIDES (i.e. what makes Areas of Knowledge/Ways of Knowing and their relationships distinct from each other) you get mega TOK brownie points You idea of finding two to contrast is a smart plan, IMO. Although bearing in mind the word limit, it might perhaps be best to discuss the 'pros' and 'cons', as it were, with reference to the examples rather than separate followed by examples. Whichever fits for you, of course!Good luck with it Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bouss Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 Well more or less you get points for relating Areas of Knowledge and Ways of Knowing together, so if you can get your examples to demonstrate you can spot a clear cross-link between Ways of Knowing and Areas of Knowledge as well as DIVIDES (i.e. what makes Areas of Knowledge/Ways of Knowing and their relationships distinct from each other) you get mega TOK brownie points You idea of finding two to contrast is a smart plan, IMO. Although bearing in mind the word limit, it might perhaps be best to discuss the 'pros' and 'cons', as it were, with reference to the examples rather than separate followed by examples. Whichever fits for you, of course!Good luck with it If you have the time, would you be able to possibly give me a general outline of what you would write about? Just to give me some ideas because I'm really struggling. Thanks so much for your help Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 Well more or less you get points for relating Areas of Knowledge and Ways of Knowing together, so if you can get your examples to demonstrate you can spot a clear cross-link between Ways of Knowing and Areas of Knowledge as well as DIVIDES (i.e. what makes Areas of Knowledge/Ways of Knowing and their relationships distinct from each other) you get mega TOK brownie points You idea of finding two to contrast is a smart plan, IMO. Although bearing in mind the word limit, it might perhaps be best to discuss the 'pros' and 'cons', as it were, with reference to the examples rather than separate followed by examples. Whichever fits for you, of course!Good luck with it If you have the time, would you be able to possibly give me a general outline of what you would write about? Just to give me some ideas because I'm really struggling. Thanks so much for your help Okay, for instance, emotion. Firstly I'd say how we come to know things through emotion and that we never seem to know things directly through emotion, emotion always goes with another way of knowing (generally describe how we come to know through emotion). I might talk about emotion and how it can prevent us finding the truth (personal example of say, anger or jealousy, from my own life/famous example like Galileo being stifled when he tried to tell everybody about the world). Then I could talk about how it helps us find the truth (e.g. 'intuition' telling us when somebody is lying, picking up on emotional cues to work things out, or art being partly accessible only through emotion and connecting with artwork). As I've potentially used an example from science and an example from art, I can briefly score my TOK brownie points by showing I know the difference between them-- art is interpreted through emotion, but emotion as a way of knowing is not central to science, with brief reference to the scientific method. That way you've talked about ways of knowing, areas of knowledge, links between the ways and areas, difference between two areas with reference to ways of knowing AND also answered their question.That sort of thing is what I'd do 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bouss Posted June 14, 2009 Report Share Posted June 14, 2009 Anybody have any idea how to approach empiricism in this topic?Thanks. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ft9666181 Posted July 21, 2009 Report Share Posted July 21, 2009 Can anyone suggest some AOKs which are closely related to this topic? Thanks Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deissi Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 Natural Science, obviously. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leepsyle Posted December 8, 2009 Report Share Posted December 8, 2009 Can anyone suggest some AOKs which are closely related to this topic? ThanksI used Ethics and History Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lloydii Posted February 9, 2010 Report Share Posted February 9, 2010 hey i'm also doing this question for my TOK essay , i ain't one of the brigthess students but i'd hope to get a good mark lol..Anyways on how to tackle this question like a plan ? intro etc...Thanks Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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