what is knowledge? a definition: knowledge… the body of truths or facts accumulated in the course...
TRANSCRIPT
What is Knowledge?
A definition: Knowledge…
• the body of truths or facts accumulated in the course of time;
• certain understanding (as opposed to opinion)
TaK – Knowledge, Belief & Opinion
Different kinds of KnowledgeKnowing How (Skills) …
• To swim• To dance• To solve maths problems• etc…
Knowing That (Information)…• It is cold• 2+2=4• Obama is US President• etc…
TaK – Knowledge, Belief & Opinion
ToK is most concerned with “Knowing that….”
Different kinds of KnowledgeKnowing How(Knowledge by acquaintance)
Gaining skills
Tacit*
Subjective
Private
Can be shown
Can originate in experience
May give certainty
Baking bread
Knowing That(Knowledge by description)
Gaining information
Articulated*
Objective
Public
Must have reasons/evidence/proof
Can originate in experience
May give certainty
Recipe for baking bread
*Tacit: understood without being openly expressed*Articulated: can be clearly expressed in words
TaK – Knowledge, Belief & Opinion
Beliefs Reality
TaK – Knowledge, Belief & Opinion
Beliefs Reality
KnowledgeKnowledge = justified, true belief
TaK – Knowledge, Belief & Opinion
Knowledge is not static – it has a history and changes over
time.
Examples?
What guarantee is there that our current understanding is correct?
What of our current ‘shared knowledge’ will stand the test of time?
TaK – Knowledge, Belief & Opinion
• Knowledge is true belief that has been arrived at by a ‘reliable process’ (by observation, experiment, reasoning etc).
• Not just ‘true for me’, but ‘true for all’(Validity of the justification – ‘poor, unreliable justification’ or ‘excellent,
reliable justification’ leading to ‘weaker’ or ‘stronger’ forms of knowledge)
Knowledge = justified, true beliefBelief-knowledge continuum
-10|
Impossible
-5|
Unlikely
0|
Possible
+5|
Probable
+10|
Certain
Belief KnowledgeDoubt
TaK – Knowledge, Belief & Opinion
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1. Christopher Columbus arrived America in 14922. Human beings are descended from apes3. Murder is wrong4. Aliens have visited earth at some time in its history5. All metals expand when heated6. Human beings have an immortal soul7. If A is bigger than B and B is bigger than C, then A is bigger than C
TaK – Knowledge, Belief & Opinion
Belief-knowledge continuum
-10|
Impossible
-5|
Unlikely
0|
Possible
+5|
Probable
+10|
Certain
Belief KnowledgeDoubt
--------------
Impossible to convince Easy to convince
TaK – Knowledge, Belief & Opinion
Will believe almost anything…
Easy to convince
TaK – Knowledge, Belief & Opinion
Impossible to convince
TaK – Knowledge, Belief & Opinion
Impossible to convince
Will believe almost nothing…
Easy to convince
TaK – Knowledge, Belief & Opinion
TaK – Knowledge, Belief & Opinion
GoodJudgement
We need to find a balance between being open to new ideas that challenge our ways of thinking,
while keeping in mind than human beings are sometimes willing to believe strange things on
the basis of little evidence
TaK – Knowledge, Belief & Opinion
Extras
TaK – Knowledge, Belief & Opinion
The Problem of Certainty
How can you be certain that:
• The sky is blue?• Neil Armstrong walked on the moon?• Snow is cold?
Origins of Knowledge
observation
thought
family
television
internet
books
intuition
teachers
friends
religion
etc
“What do I know?”“What can I know?”
“What should I believe?”“How can I be sure?”
etc dreams
feelings
experience
TaK – Knowledge, Belief & Opinion
Truth Tests
Different kinds of Knowledge
Different personal characteristics and experiences affect what people know.
There are different levels of knowledge:
• A superficial grasp
• A good understanding
• A complete mastery
Examples?
TaK – Knowledge, Belief & Opinion