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A TOK Structural Framework
Sources, Functions, and Implications of Knowledge
Things Exist
Nothing Exists but My Mind
Solipsism
RealityIsAnIllusionSo…
In practical terms…
Whatev
er I
believe
is real.
Implications for Knowledge
Only one thing exists—
a single mind
Solipsism
All other reality is created by that mind as an act of imagination.
Solipsism
The creation is arbitrary and subject to arbitrary change.
Solipsism
“Knowledge” is a matter of perceiving what is imagined at any given moment.
Solipsism
“Learning” is a matter of perceiving the current “reality.”
Solipsism
Perception cannot be wrong.
All knowledge is:temporary,arbitrary, and pointless.
Therefore…
The problem with that…
Truth by Pragmatism
The problem with that…
Solipsism
Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.
--Philip K. Dick
REALITY
Realism
In practical terms…
Whatever is
real is real,
regardless of
what I
believe.
Implications for Knowledge
Things other than our own mind exist.
Realism
Knowledge is a matter of ascertaining the truth of the external reality.
Realism
Reality is both understandable and predictable to a significant degree.
Realism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qurgArAQj8g
Our minds have some control over reality, but what we can create is limited by the laws of physics.
Realism
Access to RealityIs bounded by the limitations of our ways of
knowing :
20Hz – 20kHz
55kH
z
Increasing Access to Reality
Learning is a matter of refining previous understanding.
http://www.csmate.colostate.edu/cltw/cohortpages/viney_off/atomhistory.html
Realism
THINGS WE
CAN’T KNOW
THINGS WE KNOW
THINGS WE
DON’TKNOW
• We don’t know what we don’t know.• We don’t know how much we don’t know.• We may possibly one day know all there is to know.• (That seems unlikely.)• We will not be able to know if we know all that there is to
know.
Perception and interpretation can be flawed.Technology cannot provide us with infinite
extension of our own perception.The universe is immense; even with
miraculous technology we can’t reach it all.Reality changes over time.
RealismReality is probably NOT completely knowable
Learning requires
discipline, care, objectivity, commitment,
and flexibility.
Therefore:
Learning results in something real that can be used as the basis for decision-making.
Implications of Realism:
An investigation into the limits and capabilities, the liabilities and assets of our Ways of Knowing
AND
An investigation into the mechanisms, both technological and procedural, within each of the Areas of Knowledge that allow us to maximize the assets and minimize the liabilities of our Ways of Knowing.
What is TOK?
Seeking Reality…means seeking facts
Something that is true by correspondence.• Something that is true by coherence, but which has additionally been established through lengthy and careful study and rests on a vast body of evidence. (This kind of fact is not absolutely certain, but is nearly so.)
Something that is true by authority.
What is a Fact?
We don’t know all the facts of the universe.We may never know all the facts of the
universe.We will never know whether we know all the
facts of the universe.Some facts are beyond our ability to alter.ALL facts are beyond our ability to alter
simply by wishing.
Implication of the Nature of Facts:
To equip you to know the difference between:Developing facts based on opinions…Developing opinions based on facts.
Barack Obama was born in Kenya!
Actually, no. And it wouldn’t matter
if he had been!
and
An Important Goal of TOK:
Students learn to have as much control over their lives as possible.
An Important Goal of TOK:
Students learn to assess the quality and reliability of information so that they cannot be easily manipulated.
An Important Goal of TOK:
Carolyn P. Henly
Meadowbrook High School
4901 Cogbill Rd.
Richmond, VA 23234
804-743-3683
Presentation Prepared by:
The End
