tak - what is theory of knowledge and why is it important? what have you heard about the situation...

TaK - What is Theory of Knowledge and why is it important?

What have you heard about the situation at UWC Li Po Chun?


What have you heard about the situation at UWC Li Po Chun?

• Did you sign the online document?• Why?


What do you know about the situation at UWC Li PO Chun?

Some questions….• What is the legal situation in HK for same-

sex couples and their children?• What efforts have been made in the past

to resolve this issue?• What has been the position of the board?• What pressures has the head been under?• What could have happened in terms of

UWCLPC funding if the school/board had acted differently?

Opinion

Belief

Information

Fact

Prejudice

Evidence

Some key words…..

Assumptions


Knowledge


What have you heard about ToK?

What do you know about ToK?


A short history…


1960’s


The IB Mission Statement:The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to

create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect

ToK A keystone

academic course unifying the IB

diploma, providing a foundation for all diploma subjects


Knower(s)

Natural Sciences

Language

SensePerception

Emotion

Reason

Mathematics

Human Sciences

History

Arts

Ethics

Ways of Knowing

Areas of Knowledge

Theory of Knowledge Diagram


ToK or TaK?



Why is it important?

“Information is acquired by being told, whereas knowledge can be acquired by thinking” Fritz Malchup

“The greatest obstacle to progress is not the absence of knowledge, but the illusion of knowledge” Daniel Boorstin

“By doubting we are led to enquire, and by enquiry we perceive the truth” Peter Abelard

An Introduction to Critical Thinkingby QualiaSoup (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OLPL5p0fMg )

Give someone a fish and they’ll eat that day

Give someone a fish and they’ll eat that day

Teach them how to catch a fish and they’ll never go hungry

Dependence Self-reliance

LEARNING SKILLS

Self-reliance

Memorize the solutionto a problem …

Solution

… and it may lead to the solving of that,

and similar problems

LEARNING SKILLS

Self-reliance

improving your critical thinking …

… can provide techniques to

solve a multitude of

unfamiliar problems

Self-reliance

Critical thinking

AnalyzingConceptualisingDefiningExaminingInferringListeningQuestioningReasoningSynthesising

evaluating information&

evaluating our thoughtsin a disciplined way

help us refineour thought processes

• think and assess information more comprehensively• more able to identify and reject false ideas /ideologies

Critical thinking…isn’t just ‘thinking a lot’

Position X

(How?)

Who?

Critical thinking…isn’t just ‘thinking a lot’

(How?)Position

X

flaws & biases

Who?

flaws & biases

ThinkingCritically

We need to be aware of the flaws and biases in our

thinking …

… we must want to be better at thinking

to pinpoint and minimizebiasing influence from

Culture and Upbringingto seek out and be guided by

Knowledge and Evidencethat fits with reality .....

…even if it refutes ourcherished beliefs

beliefs

if shown to be unfounded

CHANGE of POSITION = appropriate response

Critical thinkers exhibit -

CuriosityPerspectiveKnowledge

Willing todo the work

required

to keepthemselves

properlyinformed

The crops failed because the Sun God is

angry

Explains nothing Untestable What would upset

Evolutionary theory?

Many things. For instance, a

Paleozoic panda….

Critical thinking embracesScepticism

indiscriminaterejection of ideas

doubtingsuspension of judgment

CLAIMreasoning assumptions biasesreasoning

reasoningshould be based in sound, consistent logic not on emotions / social pressure

Truth of factual claims is not determined by:• the emotion that accompanies them OR

• the fact that they may be believedby certain social groups

REASON is intrinsic to our decisions and judgments

Moving to AustraliaPros Cons

These aren’t ripe

What will increase our understanding?

Moving to AustraliaPros Cons

These aren’t ripe

Dismissing reason? Or looking honestly at our flaws?

La

What will increase our understanding?Dismissing reason? Or looking honestly at our flaws?

lack of respect for reason

lack of respect for evidence

intellectualarrogance

unwillingnessto listen intellectual

laziness

will sabotageone’s capacity

for critical thought

BLACK & WHITETHINKING

FALSEDICHOTOMY

Those whoaccept

evolution

Theists

Those whoaccept

evolution

Theists

Theists whoaccept

evolution

Those whoaccept

evolution

Theists

Theists whoaccept

evolution

If we think in false

dichotomies

we will draw false

conclusions

If we think in false

dichotomies

we will draw false

conclusions

IfOPTION A

is false

OPTION BMUSTbe true

If onedoesn’t holdATTITUDE X

One MUSThold

ATTITUDE Y

BLACK & WHITE THINKINGoften

reflects

underlying intolerance of ambiguity

leaping to flawed conclusions because you can’t tolerate the ambiguity of not knowing

TRUTHCURIOSITY

COMFORT

Qualities of a Critical Thinker

• can handle uncertainty• prefers to be aware of their areas of ignorance• can wait for valid evidence• can wait for evidence-based answers

Cr t cal Th nk ng

intellectualindependence

Cr t cal Th nk ng

Moves us away from

• rash conclusions• mystification• reluctance to question

- received wisdom- authority- tradition

Moves us towards

• intellectual discipline• clear expression of

ideas• acceptance of personal

responsibility for our own thinking

eager to acquire and

apply the best

knowledge and reason in

all fields

willing to acknowledge and correct flaws in their own thinking

better equipped to create more profoundly effective solutions to the challenges we face in

living, and living together

Critical ThinkingOne objective of ToK is to help students “make sense of what they encounter”, by learning to:

• critically examine the reliability of sources of knowledge

• distinguish between good and poor reasoning

• spot intentional or accidental bias• identify inconsistencies



“The art and science of asking questions is the source of

all knowledge” Thomas Berger


We will be asking questions so that we can better understand the world, ourselves and others:

“What do you know?”“How do you know it is true?”

“What can you know?”“What can’t be known?”

“What can you be certain of?”

Knowledge begins with questions…


A question is a toolfor creating knowledge –

but not every questionleads to reliable knowledge

Knowledge begins with a question…• Questions that have one correct answer. Example: “How many chairs are there in this room?”

• Questions that have many possible answers but which require justification and reasoned judgments. Example: “What is the best way to deal with 3rd World poverty?”

• Questions that have no correct answer but depend totally on the person answering the question.Example: “Which type of chocolate tastes best?”


If you found this ….

Spend 2 minutes writing down questions you would ask.

Where would you go to find answers to your questions?

20 cms long; made of stone

Why is it important?“There is no likelihood that humans will ever tap the power of the atom” Robert Millikan, Nobel Prize Winner in Physics (1923)

“The atom bomb will never go off and I speak as an expert” Admiral W. Leahy, Advisor to the US President (1945)

“I think there will be a world market for five computers” Thomas Watson, Founder of IBM (1958)

“The Internet will never take off” Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft (1988)

Knowledge is not static – it has a history and changes over time.

What guarantee is there that our current understanding is correct?


The ideal knower:“Do not believe anything simply because you have heard it; Do not believe in traditions simply because they have been passed down over many generations; Do not believe anything just because it is spoken and rumoured by many to be true; Do not believe anything simply because it is found in your religious books; Do not believe anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders; But, after observation and analysis, when you find that something agrees with reason, and is conducive to the good … then accept it and live up to it.”

Shakyamuni Buddha 500BC


The IB learner:

Handout: Words and definitions



Jan 2012

Dec 2012

Education & Identity

Ways of Knowing

Areas of Knowledge

Essay & Presentation

Where we are going…

tak - what is theory of knowledge and why is it important? what have you heard about the situation...

Documents

absence of knowledge

short history8 tak

uwc li po chun

legal situation

ib diploma

diploma subjectstak

lot position xhow

ib mission statement