tok big questions

HZT 4U7 Quiz Review: BQ 1 – Foundations


Terms to Know:


  • Descartes → french philosopher “i think, therefore i am”, rationalism 

  • Locke → english philosopher for empiricism 3 steps: 

    • Do I exist ? 

    • Whatever is clear and discernible is true.

    • 3 main ideas. 

  • Coherence truth test

    • relies on the preposition filling in with previous knowledge. Similar to rationalism, using logic and reason with past to come to a conclusion 

    • ie. 2 + 2 = 4, is consistent with math rules. 

  • Correspondence truth test

    • if a proposition adheres to our sense knowledge. 

    • doesn’t apply to abstract ideas like love and justice

    • ie. it is raining, if we listen and look, we can tell if it's raining. 

  • Consensus truth test

    • a preposition that aligns with a group’s idea, relying on collective wisdom 

    • ie. human activities affect climate change 

  • Pragmatic truth test

    • a preposition is true if it works or useful in practice

    • ie. studying improves grades 

  • Justified True Belief

    • A belief if considered truth if: 

      • true: corresponds with reality

      • justified: evidence 

      • believed (confidently held) 


  1. What are the Four Aims of TOK? 

    1. How have you demonstrated these skills?  Are they useful in improving our understanding of the world?


The four aims of TOK are: 

  1. critical thinking 

  2. communication 

  3. creativity 

  4. collaboration 


  1. Reflect on BQ1, “ What is Theory of Knowledge, and why do we study it?”  

  • i dont know 




  1. Reflect and review any ONE of the 12 Key Concepts, what it means, and how it relates to our understanding of knowledge. 


Certainty - level of confidence we have in a knowledge claim. 

Explanation - using reasons, causes and context to justify knowledge
Interpretation - assigning meaning to information or experiences 

Culture - the shared beliefs, values and practices that shape how knowledge is formed 

Evidence - information or data to support  

Justification - reading and evidence to support a claim 

Objectivity - idea of being free from bias 

Perspective - particular viewpoint and framework, how to interpret to knowledge 

Power - influence of  control over production, dissemination, and acceptance of knowledge

Responsibility - ethical obligation to use knowledge and its consequences 

Truth - The quality of being in accordance with fact or reality.

Values -  principles or standards that guide what is considered important or worthwhile.


Evidence 

  • the information, data, or facts used to support a knowledge claim. It is the foundation for justifying beliefs and validating knowledge in all areas of knowledge.


Understanding of Knowledge: 

  • Justification: Evidence distinguishes beliefs and justified true beliefs. For example, we use evidence like experimental results in chemistry to proposes or support theories 

  •  Reliability: Evidence helps define the reliability of a “truth”. For example, this is why in history it is important to analyze and use primary sources to defend proposed events. 

  • It is challenging to use evidence for more interpretive areas like art or ethics. There is little to no evidence of direct proof of truth if, as it is mainly very subjective. 

  • It is important for the TOK areas of knowledge and a little less on the optional themes, but still crucial. 

  • A good example is the use of primary sources of historical recounts like journals, pictures, diaries and so on. These sources help justify secondary sources. 


I’LL DO THIS ONE: Perspective

  • the particular viewpoint or framework through which individuals or groups interpret knowledge. It is shaped by factors like culture, experience, language, and values. There is more consideration in optional themes, but absolutely relevant in the areas of knowledge. 


Understanding of knowledge: 

  • Subjective: with perspective we recognize that everything is influenced by past experiences that shape our understanding. This is an often dilemma in ethics due to the different cultural importances and considerations. 

  • Diverse: The same idea/thing/art can be interpreted differently, creating unique perspectives based on past life experiences. For example, viewing a painting of a rose possibly as a sign of love, but for some maybe a symbol of death.

  • Bias: Due to perspective, we face lots of bias, in which people consider their viewpoints more important than others. 


For example: Indigenous people have a stronger perspective and consideration for the motions of nature, with a strong consideration for spiritual and cultural significance with the environment. Yet, Christian communities have much different considerations for the environment. 


  1. What is first-order knowledge?  What is second-order knowledge? Which type of knowledge are we more interested in for TOK and why? 


First-order knowledge → facts, informations and skills from experience, education and observation 

  • The Earth revolves around the Sun

Second-order knowledge → Knowledge about knowledge. Reflection on how we acquire knowledge, justify and evaluate. 

  • How do we know the earth revolves around the sun? 


Second-order knowledge is more crucial for TOK and interesting because it is the study of knowledge and critical thinking. Using some of the ideas of the 12 Key Concepts like perspectives, certainty and others, to understand how we think. 

  • It is necessary for understanding bias and being open-minded 

  • It is important to use many disciplines to come to an answer and understanding 

  • teaches us to examine the processes and assumptions behind first-order knowledge and statements 


  1. What did Beau Lotto mean when he said ‘context is everything’, and what are the implications of this? 


Beau Lotto used examples of optical illusions to demonstrate that not everything we see is true, and can be obscured or distorted by our senses. “Context is everything” means:

  • that perception is relative 

    • the famous blue and black dress versus white and gold. The dress was blue and black but people perceive it to be white and gold because of the editing of the photo. 

  • context is important to assign meaning 

    • misunderstandings arise from the lack of information or poor understanding of information. 

    • Examples can be seen in interpretation of words. “I need to go to the bank for money” versus “I want to sit by the bank of the river”. 

  • knowledge is not objective but more constructed 


  1. How can we guard against our memories being manipulated by people seeking to obscure or hide the truth? 

To guard memory we must: 

  • understand how manipulation of memory happens and stay aware of it

  • fact checking, looking back at evidence of comparing with others

  • understand emotional manipulation 

  • try to keep picture and documents of things important 

  • educate yourself about biases

  • question source of info 

  • be a critical thinker

  • don’t believe everything on the internet 


  1. Do you think having a definition for knowledge helps us to be more aware about what we really know? 


Yes, having a definition of knowledge helps us recognize what is knowledge, belief, opinion and speculation. The TOK course has excellent tools for this such as the justified true belief test. It is important for people to think critically and ask themselves questions about what we know and our biases. It promotes more intelligent thinking and more awareness of manipulation of facts. 


  1. Reflect and review any ONE logical fallacy. Define each and provide examples (both personal and public). 


Hasty Generalization, reaching a conclusion with too little or no evidence. 


example 1: You come across an ad on Instagram posted by Dr. Health, that says that drinking coffee with lemon will get rid of chronic illness. You believe this because a doctor posted this and thus it must be true. 

→ it's a generalization because I didn't look for any study based off this. 

→ I don't know who Dr. Health is

→ I am influenced by my emotions to fix my chronic illness 


example 2: A store was robbed, and the robbers happened to be immigrants. A politician then claims “All immigrants are responsible for crime”, isolating the immigrants and that one crime. 

→ limited evidence

→ bias or racism

→ abuse of power 

→ creating social division 


I’ll do this one → Red Herring, bringing up side information to divert attention from the real issue. 


example 1: You are being questioned by your parents about your grades and you use the excuse,  “I won at chess today” to divert the attention of your poor grades. 


example 2: A health minister is being questioned about the weird side effects of Ozempic and they answer with, “Ozempic works great!”. Diverting the attention from the problem and continuing to spread misinformation.