Understanding Knowledge Issues

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Knowledge issues are:

• open-ended questions that admit more than one possible answer

• explicitly about knowledge in itself and not subject-specific claims

• couched in terms of TOK vocabulary and concepts: the areas of knowledge, the ways of knowing and the concepts in the linking questions—belief, certainty, culture, evidence, experience, explanation, interpretation, intuition, justification, truth, values

• precise in terms of the relationships between these concepts

Assignent 1: Review the above information, and in your own words explain the concept of “knowledge issue.” It’s tough, but embrace this challenge! (Due today!)

Knowledge issue examples:

  1. How can our sense perception be relied upon to justify our reasons?
  2. Does our language and emotion determine what we believe and know?
  3. How do metaphors affect what we believe in science and in history?
  4. To what extent is certainty possible in the arts and ethics?
  5. How is inductive reasoning a strength and weakness when reasoning?
  6. What source of knowledge has not been touched by human thought or language? How do we establish objectivity?
  7. How does deductive logic allow for certainty in math and history?

Assignment 2: Visit one of the “reliable” sources of knowledge you or your classmates identified, and look for a real-life situation containing a “knowledge issue.”  What is the real situation? And, most importantly, what open-ended question needs to be asked? (Due Tuesday at 11:59pm)

Assignment 3: Reply to two classmates posts by asking additional questions, using the language of ToK and “knowledge issues.” (Due Thursday evening for our Friday review)

Post comments and replies to this post.

Gracias!

Coey

126 thoughts on “Understanding Knowledge Issues”

  1. Huffingtonpost.com,” Drought Policies Must Be Adopted Worldwide, UN Officials Say” In this article it talks about the farmers in Africa and India are suffering from the lack of rain and the USA are suffing from a drought. It also say that as the climate change is projected, then the frequency, intensity and the duration of the drought will
    increases. What will it be like to live in a city with no water?

  2. I think that the discussion between Romney and Obama has quite a problem because the fact that Romney does not have the knowledge that if the US had a war with Iran and Syria the other enemies that hates the US will also join in and cause a world war.

  3. Frontline News: “Poppy Eradication in Afghanistan on the Rise” In this article it involves the government and NATO forces. In this article the government says that population of poppy or opium has grown in Afghanistan since the past few years and the government also said that the population of poppy in Afghanistan in year 2011 is the greatest improvement which is up to 131,000 poppies. They even predicted that this year 2012 would have an even higher population of poppies. According to the government it is said that the farmers in Afghanistan are forced to plant poppies instead of food crops because of their own protection.

    • How might the government and NATO going to save the Afghanistan farmers from the “supposed” to be security in Afghanistan?

      How are the government and NATO going to get rid of the poppy crops and is this going to cause a big war?

      • How do these statistics inform or mislead our knowing about poppy production? How are we supposed to interpret this data? Is it a small amount or a large amount?

        Coey

        • I think that these statistics can mislead or either inform us about the news from different countries but most likely it will inform because based on world new and the way to interpret this data is to research more about the topic and i think it is just enough info.

  4. Washington Redskins Robert Griffin III made headlines when he wrote the word “heart” over the Nike logo on his warm-up shirt. The league told Griffin not to obscure the logo in the future. Nike is in the first year of its deal as the official outfitter of the NFL. … We wonder if all this logo-covering defeats the purpose of obscuring a logo. Isn’t this just drawing more attention to Nike?

    • Yes it is just drawing more attention to Nike. But Did Nike give Griffin the permission to endorse the slogan “heart” with their logo?

    • Is this covering an issue of defiance, or morall opposition, or is it a humorous challenge to Nike’s marketing? How does the language we use to talk about this incident shape what we believe?
      Coey

    • Dont you think its coincidental that its RGIII first year in the NFL as well as Nike’s first year in the NFL? And this is just a matter of ego or attention grabber?

  5. in the sacremento bee @ sacebee.com-Romney decries military cuts; Obama talking jobs
    the article mentions a part of republican presidential candidate Romney speech saying “”The idea of cutting our military is unthinkable and devastating. And when I become president we will not”, compare to Obama’s by making more jobs he pledges to “make the middle class secure again”. what should our concern be as of now, our country’s safety, or our economic problem? Are they really going to do as they promised? or was it all just a way to get our votes?

    • How are we to discern logical arguments from rhetorical (persuasive) arguments meant to change our opinions? Are logical arguments as valued in our society?

      Coey

    • i dont believe presidents can be reliable because there is limit to what the executive branch is able to do.they use emotive language to get people too vote for them. how much military does romney belive we actually need?

  6. NPR NEWS
    a never-before-seen hemorrhagic fever virus found in Central Africa. Its called Bas-Congo Virus. So far, only three people in the remote village of Mangala are known to have contracted Bas-Congo hemorrhagic fever, two of whom died. This disease can apparently be transmitted from person to person, although no one knows how easily.

    • If this disease is pass easily then what do you think would happen? Do you think it would be like the swine flu(H1N1)?

    • how do people from all around the world get to know about this disease? What do you mean by “no one knows how easily”?

      • i believe that if this disease is easily passed then more of the world would get exposed to it. Because only three people have been effected by the disease.. and two of them already died.. its hard to get any answers so no one really knows how fast this disease can spread. I think that many people around the world will be effected if this disease continues

    • How can we use previous experiences (with disease outbreaks) to make accurate prediction models?

      Coey

      • Like Jessie said.. maybe it will be like the swine flu. Maybe if people do get effected by this disease then scientists may be able to find a cure for it

    • if its a never before seen virus, how would we know its true? it says that two people had died from it, but what if it was from a different cause? and the virus has a funny name “bas-congo”…..it makes feel a little supiscious about the disease.

    • I think this is a virus that is going be very undectable in the sense we dont know its whereabouts in its exact place. So the people in Central Africa just has to be careful.

  7. Weeklyworldnews.com,” Obama: College Will Be Free For Every One” In this article Obama say that he promise that the government will pay for college in his second term. He is going to push the government to provide free college education to every American. He said that college is a right and not a privilege. He also said that every American deserves to go to college and the government needs to pay for it. This means that everyone who goes to college or want to go to college don’t have to pay to go into college. What will the government do and how are they will react?

    • I also wonder how will the government solve this issue when there are so many economic hardships the nation is facing and why they would propose this? Do they know or believe that the idea is possible?

    • i believe that everone has the right to attain an education/knowledge in college. the government should help and support the students financially to the point where thy are able to pay a reasonable price. i think the government will not want to pay every tuition for all the students because they will be left with no money. the government gives loans to students to helpthemselves because they charge them interest and all the interest money is profit for them.

      • I agree with Christian, everyone deserves the right to education. Without education we limit the ability to expand our knowledge and beliefs among others. Learning helps develop judgement and to become more open-minded to new ideas, such as evolution or creationism.

    • How do you know if the government will pay for college? Do you believe what Obama say is true?

    • So if Obama is going to push the government to provide free college, what do you think is going to happen to those financial aid and/or scholarships program in the US?

    • I think the government will most likely go against what Obama said because that will cost too much money if each year the students who graduate from high schools increases.

    • Weeklyworldnews.com is for entertainment only, and all of the people commenting on this story have been misled by a hoax article. Obama is NOT giving free college education to everyone next year. The knowledge issue here is “How do we discern reliable sources of news from unreliable?”

      Coey

  8. BBC.com,”Quit Chewing Tobacco Advice issued for UK South Asians”
    This article is from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and they talk about how people should stop using smokeless products because it contains tobacco and could have worse ingredients than tobacco alone. Also the smokeless products does not have any warnings on their packs so it can be more dangerous. The article also mentions how some health professionals lack awareness of these small problems that could become big in the future. If 2 experts were telling you two different ideas, who should you believe in? How do you know that you can trust one’s idea over the other?

    • You cant trust one idea over the other because you dont know whos idea is the right one. But you can go with the one you “thin” is right

    • Do you believe what the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence say is true? How would the people who are smoking get to know that what they are doing is wrong?

      • I believe them when they stated that health professionals are not aware of the small problems that could be dangerous later in the future. I think that health professionals focus on bigger problems and not so much on the little ones that could later lead to serious ones.
        How can you believe in the expert, how can you know that he’s not trying to mislead you, and just because he has a title, does this mean that everything he says is true?

    • You mentioned the fact that the tobacco could be more dangerous because it wasen’t properly labeled with a warning. However, a lot of our food today contains harmful ingredients that also don’t contain warnings. What makes the tobacco issue more important to people rather then other unlabeled products? Does this say anything about what people choose to pay attention to?

      • I like this thinking because you draw our attention to this “false sense of security” that labeled products might have for us. Is this a perception issue affecting our beliefs?

        Coey

  9. Upfront – The New York Times “SUGAR WARS”
    In this article, the mayor of New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is planning to ban any sugar drinks or soda larger than the size 16 oz (oversized). He thinks this is what the public wants him to do because obesity is a major problem. More than half of the adults in New York City are overweight or obese. We know that consuming too much sugar will lead to diabetes. According to this article, consuming too much sugar will result in heart disease as well as being overweight for a long time. In this article, this is a comic picture where a little boy is holding an oversized sugar drink. In quotes, it says “DROP THE WEAPON” in big bold, red letters. This means people (not all) and the government in New York City not only see the oversized sugar drinks as a factor of obesity, but as a weapon. When most people think of weapon, what do they think of? Wars, fighting, guns, knives, killing, murders, etc. Mostly negative ideas come up when it comes to weapon. We know that consuming a high amount of sugar will cause diabetes and whatsoever, but is it right to compare oversized sugar drinks to weapons? How do they know it is a weapon? Is the government trying to protect the people? If yes, how? There are those who agree with the government of banning the oversized sugar drinks. Are these people knowing that high sugar consumption is not healthy or are they just believing just because the government says so?

      • I believed most of them are aware, but it seems as if they’re stuck to the high sugar consumption.

    • How do you know if the people obese? Do you believe what the article is true? If so, how?

    • many states are struggling with the same issue, but it does not seem to be such a big concern as it is in New York. like how dmitriy ask are they aware, and if they are aware, will the resident take it into consideration and maybe think about the possibility of changing their ways? could it also spread awareness to other states with the same issue?

    • These issue often have more to do with saving the state money, rather than protecting citizens from their poor eating habits. Often, we should ask the question, “Who stands to make/save the most money from this decision?”

      Is science a reliable means of justifying this decision to ban soda?

      Coey

  10. 60 minutes: Romney critisizes Obama for not meeting with the israeli prime minister. Romney claims that obama is distancing itself from an important middle east ally. Obama declares that he has talked with the israeli prime minister. he doesnt want to start a war against syria and iran like romney would like.from this knowledge whose debate opinion is more reasonable and stronger? why?

    • Christian,

      Are you asking “How does our choice of language shape what we believe to know”? Or do you see this as a knowledge issue dealing with reason?

      Coey

      • this is another question because mr. coey confused me. does the united states need an ally in the middle east or does israel need the united states as an ally?

    • How do you know Iran is involved? When I was on CNN, I found videos of Syria’s military assaults on the Syrians. Maybe I didn’t see any videos of Iran involved with Syria.

      • i didnt see it on cnn. but from prior knowledge i know that most middle eastern countries dont like israel.

  11. On this site, it says that if a woman willingly has sex and gets pregnant, then she has a responsibility to have the child and to raise it and that she could only have abortion if she wasn’t willing to have sexual intercourse or if she didn’t understand that sex leads to pregnancy.
    But what if she can’t support the child or if she is still a minor herself? Does she still have the responsibility to have and take care of the child?

    • You forgot to cite your source.
      For your insight, I believe that a woman does get pregnant is responsible for her own actions, because we are able to control our own actions unless being forced into such thing as sex trafficking.

  12. BBC London
    My real life situation is some church leaders in london are telling their church leaders who are infected with HIV to stop taking their antiretroviral drugs. As a result many are dying or becoming more sick. However there are some reports of people being ‘cured”. Who are they to believe the people who claim to know about the spiritual world or those who claim to know about the biological world?

  13. New Fire Science Helps Overturn Michigan Man’s Murder Conviction:
    This article talks about how a man was convicted of murdering his family and how now years later the conviction was wrong. This was proven by scientist who took a closer look. What was believed to be in the past could be wrong today. This incident makes us doubt of past convictions based on scientific knowledge. If the scientist are finding new information to disprove certain beliefs, do we have to doubt other information based on other scientific claims?

    • I would like to add that if scientists are finding new information to disprove certain beliefs, should we abandon our beliefs and only pertain to what we know, or keep believing in them even if they may turn out to be false?

    • If people can make simple mistakes that lead innocent people to life torture, who do we believe in when there is an accusation?

      • People are considered innocent untill proven guilty.Accusations must be proven true. The problem arises when that proof is found to be wrong. However, human error is unavoidable. Is there ever really a way to prove guilt if the evidence we use to do so is changing?

  15. The real situation is Bill Nye “The Science Guy” has recently made a video challenging the use of Creationism in science classrooms. Knowledge about not only the age of the Earth, but also the process of human evolution is clearly at stake in this argument about what is known. How do we determine which sources of authority are best as a justification for knowledge?

    • Mr. Coey, I looked up the word “Creationism” on Dictionary.com and there were three definitions of that word:
      1.”the doctrine that matter and all things were created, substantially as they now exist, by an omnipotent Creator, and not gradually evolved or developed”
      2.”the doctrine that the true story of the creation of the universe is as it is recounted in the Bible, especially in the first chapter of Genesis”
      3.”the doctrine that God immediately creates out of nothing a new human soul for each individual born”
      I saw some words/phrases that were related to religion in these definitions. So does this mean that this video was made to go against religious purposes/subjects?

  16. To what extent must we tolerate religious belief as well as the freedom of speech in the issue of the controversial Islamic film?

    • BBC News Middle East “Arab, regional media outraged by prophet film”
      This article is about a US film that features an actor portraying as the Prophet Muhammad which is forbidden in Islam. The film has sparked international protests in all Islamic communities causing one Islamic community leader to say “This is the biggest insult in the history of Islam.” However the US cannot censor the film because of the first amendment concerning freedom of speech. In this controversy how do we determine the line between our rights and religious toleration or is there no line to be drawn?

      • Until what point does the united states have to go to understand and realize they are disciminating another person’s culture/religion? when will the united states stop getting into other people’s business?

        • I don’t think it is solely an issue of Americans “discriminating” against Islamic culture. The Islamic community has done and said many things that Americans would consider insulting and offensive, and vice versa. I think the question should be to what extent can we really hold eachother responsible for them? Can\should we ignore it with and understanding that the other has a very different set of beliefs?

      • What if the producer did know, then why did he do it? Doesn’t the producer have the responsibility to recall all the copies of the video and to appologize for insulting the Muslims?

        • Why would the belief of others have to effect his actions? Do we apply that to ourselves?

    • How did the US film producer know not that producing a film with Prophet Muhammad was an insult?

  17. Knowledge issues are the theories from which we interpret our views on what knowledge appears is. There are a variety of ideas that we promote that allow us to become closer to unraveling the true definition of knowledge. We as human beings try to devote ideologies to understand the “truth.” The truth is what drives us psychologically and emotionally to use philosophy as a way to understanding what knowledge truly means. Knowledge issue is used as a device to discover innovations and intuitive ideas to help true knowledge flourish as time proceeds.

    • CNN News, Movie Trailer and Irans Reaction

      Iran has responded to 14 minute online trailer “Innocence of Muslims,” a once obscure film that mocks Mohammed as a womanizer, child molester and killer. Most of the demonstrations viewed by people were peaceful, but Benghazi, Libya killed a U.S Ambassador and three other Americans. This was an act of retaliation and vengence is a knowledge issue because it is driven by emotion. When emotions settle in our desicions, we become overshadowed by beliefs which cause to committ extraordinary measures. We should look at life’s difficulties and bias approaches and continue to grow from them because when we grow, we evolve, and from evolving we gain knowledge that strengthens our approach to other matters that reflect atrocity.

      • How does this video affect our thinking in regards to the culture itself? Will we be bias or will can we think for ourselves rather than having the media think for us?

      • How can emotions affect the person who is releasing the emotion to know that what he/she is doing is wrong?

  18. Knowledge issue is questions that we do not understand very easily and there are more answers than just one answer to any question.

  19. Knowledge issue is when people are misunderstanding the truth about something. What makes us misunderstand knowledge is because our culture, our beliefs and the society that we live in.

  20. “Knowledge issue” is an issue between what you know and what you want to believe. It makes you confuse yourself, and then you start to question yourself based upon what you know.

  21. A knowledge issue is a concept that questions our beliefs and adds questions to our questions yet expands our thinking.

    • Huffington Post: “Why It Matters”
      This article is about gun control and gun ownership laws in the US. Both candidates Obama and Romney are not pushing any gun laws but there have been quite a few issues involving gun shootings. This article shows how more and more Americans think that the laws for gun rights should stay the same. However, half of them believe that we should have stricter laws concerning gun control. This issue has faded a little in the Supreme Court since the time they wanted to alter gun control laws. In what ways does this issue endanger our beliefs?

      • Your article enlightens me, because we have the right to bare arms, but is there a limitation to having the right to defend oneself? I believe we should have the right to defend ourself whether it’s a threat from a person or the government.

        • We do have the right to bare arms but, like laws about driving, shouldn’t there be gun-control laws so that we can have a safer community? What about gun sales and manufacturing?

      • i think the right to bear arms does need to be more specific about defendig yourself. i agree that this is a knowledge issue

  22. Knowledge issue is a question that has more than one answer and also it tells us from what we know is right or wrong.

    • We don’t verify it, because humans develop computers, not the other way around. The computers contain knowledge to a limit of which the creator (humans) programmed it to.

  24. Knowledge issues are question that are too broad, a question that marks many answers and doesn’t have a complete or correct. A question such as “what is the meaning of life?” The way of knowing is a factor determining our knowledge from our perception and reasoning, leaving oneself to be opened to only a certain point of view. An example is Iraq seeing our traditions and cultures, as a bad thing, other people might thing otherwise.

    • Al Jazeer English News –
      “At this late hour, there is only one way to peacefully prevent Iran from getting atomic bombs and that’s by placing a
      clear red line on Iran’s nuclear weapons programme,” Netanyahu said in a speech at the UN General Assembly on Thursday.

      “Red lines don’t lead to war; red lines prevent war.”

      This article explains the “only” way to peacfully prevent iran from getting atomic bombs is by placing red lines, which means we stop Iran from gather uranium. How is this the “only” way? What if they create bombs using other materials? They say red lines don’t lead to war, but what if Iran is angered by this action, what if the respond to it, by starting a war?

      Works Cited
      “Israeli PM Sets ‘red Line’ over Nuclear Iran – Americas – Al Jazeera English.” Israeli PM Sets ‘red Line’ over Nuclear Iran – Americas – Al Jazeera English. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2012. .

      • What is the right course of action at all? Even if these red lines deter the iranians from making atomic bombs, won’t they find a way around those red lines, like when a parent tells their kid they can’t go out and the kid sneaks out instead? Should we maybe instead advise them and warn them of the consequences (nicely), as friends and equals rather than authorities? Or is this not a good idea? Is there something we can do to influence a more positive outcome or are we going to make the situation worse if we try?

  25. Knowledge issue is a type of question that is cannot be answered by a yes or no answer. Also a knowledge issue makes the reader of the question think deeper than they usually do and reflect upon their experience, feelings, and from what they see in everyday life.

    • I agree with you, for example asking “what’s the meaning of life” or “how is it possible for x to happen” These questions can not be reslove by a single word, but by an explanation through our belief and knowledge.

  26. A Knowledge Issue to me is what someone believes, meaning, even if they aren’t for sure about their answer, they stick with it. “Knowledge” is what someone knows for sure, and the “issue”, is what begins to question what they know.

  27. Knowledge issues are questions that we ask because we are unsure about our own beliefs and thoughts. The question cannot be answered by a simple word of “yes” or “no”.

  28. Knowledge issues can incorporate with certainty and all the other TOK vocabulary and concepts. Our sense of perception can be relied upon to justify our reasons because the fact that we see, those or any ideas, in our own point of view. So in other words the reason that we believe an idea in the way we do is caused by our own experience and not others. For example, if we would ask a question to a person in Peru to a person from Africa their answers might differ because one speaks Spanish and the other in their own language. I see emotion as a great factor to our knowledge because everything that we believe or we think is “true” might be because we had an emotional connection to that idea or knowledge. Knowledge issue also includes how we view arts and ethics. The reason I say this is because ethics change has time goes on. I mean my parents don’t have the exact same ethics has I do. As well as, the factual evidence that is show to us and said to prove a belief might not be strongly agreed to others. This might be due to, the fact that it didn’t establish an emotional connection to that person or it can be due to the fact that it was not a strong reasoning to them. To conclude this, Knowledge issues will always be around because humans were built to as an answer questions.

  29. I think “Knowledge Issue’ is similar to confusion. When I see the phrase ‘Knowledge Issue’, I think of people trying to figure out the correct answer to a question. There may be multiple answers to a question, yet people thinks there is only one correct answer which may lead people into arguments or agreements. People ask questions to clarify their confusion on knowledge.

  31. Knowledge issues makes you ask more questions and to be willing to accept the different answers to them.

  32. I think the concept of “knowledge issue” is using your thinking to find your answer, depending if there is an answer if the question is looking for a “yes” or “no” answer. Knowledge is a contain information to help you understand, make your statement or realize other answers or thoughts that you have not known before or you missed some information. So, how can knowledge issue be detected and have an answer to it? Also, what could a knowledge issue have to make us to believe or know the answer is true or not?

    • Assignment 2

      Watson, Ivan, and Journalist Ammar Omar Cheikh Contributed to This Report. “Syria’s Internally Displaced Languish in Squalor at Turkish Border – CNN.com.” CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 27 Sept. 2012. .

      Thousands of Syrians slept in the dirt on northern edge of Syria and barely 100 meters away from the Turkish borders. For this international issue, Turkey is trying to help the refugees to safety but the supplies like medicine and camps were reaching near a limit amount. The Turkish government is trying to consult issue that is near their border lines of Syria. Syrians said that it was Obama who let them down as well as the Islamic and Arabic worlds who abandoned their message.

      I think this had a good point of why Turkish officials or government officials are trying to figure out to how to help the Syrians at their border lines. Also, everyday Turkish officials are struggling with the refugee camps and maintain control of the Syrians. I believe Turkish officials are trying their best to help the refugees. Open-ended question: Why are there no international aid organizations at the border lines of Turkey? Does the international organizations know that refugees are struggling against the military assaults of Syria? Does anyone or any government officials in the world know that this is happening except for United States, Britain, Iraq and Turkey?

  33. Knowledge issues are the analytical reasoning in which we try to attain knowledge. The ways we try to attain it is by asking ourselves if we believe if it is true or false.

  34. Knowledge issues are questions that are broad and complex questioning your ways of knowledge as well as having more than one answer.

  35. 1.The concept of knowledge issues is that our culture, race, beliefs or what we learn can affect the way we think, our personality, he way we act towards people and what we do in terms of work or on our free time.

    • Similar to the ways of knowing, how we base our knowledge from our language, reason, perception, and emtion. I agree with you how our thoughts are based on a biast way of learning, because no one is born with an open mind

  36. A knowlegde issue is a question about our beliefs and what we think we know that has no correct or simple answer.

  37. knowledge issues is conflict between the right anwers of a question from different people.

    • True, but how can we justify what’s right from our judgement and the ways of knowing based on our emotion, perception, language, and reason. Not all answers can be right, but there will always be truth.

  38. The knowledge issue is the complex issue of absolute truth, something that we strive to attain but we know is to some degree impossible. Why is knowledge like this and how can we differentiate between it and all the things that factor in like belief and bias?