ToK chapter 4

conspiracy theory

either a denial that an event took place, or the belief in an explanation for an event based on the idea that there was a deliberate and secret agency of people or organisations

dogmatism

a tendency to lay down principles as undeniably true without consideration of evidence or the opinions of others

correspondence theory of truth

the theory that a statement is true if it corresponds to a fact

coherence theory of truth

the theory that a proposition is true if it fits in with our overall set of beliefs

pragmatic theory of truth

the theory that truths are beliefs which have been scientifically verified or lead to predictable and dependable outcomes

consensus theory of truth

the theory that truth is based on a set of beliefs that the majority of people agree on

pluralist theory of truth

the theory that there are multiple truths, and various meanings of the word 'truth'

communism

an ideology which advocates that all property os communally owned, and the government directs all economic production

redundancy theory of truth

the theory that truth has no essential property, and the word can be substituted for another

post-truth

relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief

deepfake

the use of AI to create fake videos creating the false impression of authenticity

neutral

unbiased, impartial, not supporting any side of the argument

relativism

in the context of truth, it is a belief that truth is relative to the society, culture or historical context in which you live, as opposed to absolutism

absolutism

the belief that there are universal or absolute principles which should always be followed

explanation

in the context of the study of history, a justification or reason that explains why an event or action took place

justification

in the context of truth, a reason or reasons for a belief or support for a truth claim

hindsight bias

mistakenly thinking you knew something would happen, after it has happened

intellectual virtues

virtues that are required for the pursuit of knowledge

Dunning-Kruger effect

a cognitive bias where we find it difficult to know the limit of our knowledge and expertise. If we have a little knowledge in a particular area, we may overestimate our level of knowledge and competence in that area. In this way, a little knowledge may lead to an unjustified illusion of greater knowledge