Tuesday, November 27, 2012
The Empty Toll Booth, or, Be Your Own Lemming
Now that we've begun our head-long dash down the path of Knowledge Questions, stop and regroup a bit for Thursday. Read this guide to Knowledge Issue Extraction, then read two articles from 3 Quarks Daily or Arts and Letters Daily (links to which are on the right under TOK Links) and write a post that contains a) a real-word situation; b) a weak knowledge issue; c) a strong knowledge issue from each article. Be sure to indicate from which article each situation and KI comes.
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SAUDI ARABIA IMPLEMENTS ELECTRONIC TRACKING SYSTEM FOR WOMEN
ReplyDeletea. Women are not allowed to travel without male consent, and have been banned from driving. They are now controlled by tracking devices that detect cross-boarder movement.
b. Will this be revoked?
c. To what extent is this humane and how can this be supported by the government, is it because it is deeper than just religion?
HOW NOT TO TALK ABOUT GAZA
a. Talking about Gaza is a deep topic and is compared to talking about God. “We cannot talk about what we see. Or if we do, we are accused of lacking common sense, failing to take a realistic approach to an unmanageable problem.”
b. Are all Palestinians terrorists?
c. To what extent should Gaza be fought over? Israel was the land given to the Jews, but who’s land was it to give?
IN THE FACE OF DEEP PREJUDICE AND PERSECUTION, THE UGANDAN GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT HAS CRAFTED A SURPRISING VICTORY
a. Gay rights in Uganda are reaching a victory, and becoming more accepted.
b. Is this all through Uganda?
c. To what extents with homosexuals be accepted in modern day society all around the world?
A real world situation: Young poet’s not being discovered because their name is not yet familiar. (JACK GILBERT, 1925-2012)
ReplyDeleteThis real world issue is common with many news papers around the country. They encourage young writers to send in their work but deny them if their name does not call out to them. It takes something extra to really catch the eye of these critical editors.
A strong Knowledge Issue: To what extent does knowledge play a role in boredom?(The History of Boredom)
Boredom is defined as being unoccupied or uninterested. However how much of that is due to a persons surroundings and how much of it is due to the person being too lazy to create something out of the knowledge around them or to use their knowledge to entertain themselves? Take this example: if you put two children in a room of horse manure, one kid will sit there and pity themselves and think the worst of the situation and can’t wait to get out of there. The other kid will run around the room and dig through the manure screaming “There has to be a pony around here somewhere!” the different reactions may be determined on the ways they are able to use their knowledge of horse manure; it being dirty and gross or it coming from a horse so the horse should be near by.
A weak knowledge issue: What is boredom? (The History of Boredom)
Even though this question can have more than one plausible answer it is still something that one can look up and find the definition of. The question asks what is it, not how does it work or why it happens.
Strong Knowledge issue- To what extent are reality and choice related? In a real life situation: If I catch the flu and then spread it amongst those I come into contact with, how does that choice affect reality? This is a strong knowledge issue because it is not a simple yes or no question and there is more than one possible answer. Possible answers include but are not limited to: 1) They are unrelated because humans have no choice and 2) reality does no exist without choice because everything one does is a choice.
ReplyDeleteWeak Knowledge Issue- Is one humble because he or she believes in Spinoza's God? This is a weak KI because it only allows for a yes or no answer and is in the style of a debate question. Responses may be yes because to say that the world is not created by a divine being means that we do not uphold ourselves as creations by perfection or no because one can believe in Spinoza's God without having to feel humble, and even feeling humble is a sign of an ego.
This KI came from 3quarksdaily's "Do We Make Reality?" by Jay Tolson
Strong Knowledge Issue- Is it morally correct to draft citizens during a time of war or battle? This is a strong knowledge issue because it demands exploration and the questioning of respect for others' morality and in what case is it believed to be justifiable. There is no one conclusion. For example, it is not morally correct because in democracies we support freedom and should not make a person go against his or her morals. On the other hand, if a dictator has an army and will commit genocide and many other awful deeds, the only way to stop him or her or them is to stop their army which could only be by battle. If the numbers show the necessity of a draft, morally, it would be awful enough of a crime by the opposition to make it morally correct to fight and kill them.
Weak Knowledge Issue- Should governments exist? This is a weak knowledge issue because although it does allow for an opinion and a wide range of support evidence for an argument, it is a question that would be posed at a debate and is a solely yes or no question.
This KI came from http://www.foreignpolicy.com/2012globalthinkers
Progress isn't a linear development
ReplyDeletehttp://theeuropean-magazine.com/263-heuer-rolf-dieter/788-science-and-the-public-sphere
a) The Higgs Boson (a particle in an atom which gives it mass) has been discovered.
b)Can we really say that the Higgs Boson has been discovered?
This is a weak knowledge issue because scientists refer to the particle they discovered as a "higg's like" particle (preferring not to say that it is the actual Higgs boson). It is a yes or no question that can be answered depending on someone's definition of the word discovery.
c)To what extent can we determine whether or not something is a solid discovery?
This is a strong knowledge issue because it is an open-ended question which has a different answer depending on the person answering it. Is something considered a solid discovery if there is 0.000000000001% chance that it might be something else? Do we have the means to prove something to be 100% correct? If not, then can we really say that we have discovered something?
The Evolutionary Mystery of Homosexuality
http://chronicle.com/article/The-Evolutionary-Mystery-of/135762/
a) Natural selection has not worked against homosexuality despite the fact that homosexuals reproduce less than heterosexuals.
b) Is homosexuality a gene?
This is a weak knowledge issue because it is a yes or no question. Certain people may argue that is a lifestyle choice while others may say that people are involuntarily homosexual.
c) To what extent does gender or sexual orientation define a human being?
The is a strong knowledge issue because the word gender is a very subjective term and its influences on our personalities differ from person to person. It explores the different ways in which people regard gender and the different levels of importance depending on the person.
The History of Boredom
ReplyDeletehttp://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/The-History-of-Boredom-180161211.html?c=y&page=2
a. Many people want to go to a Boring Conference after the Interesting Conference was cancelled. The organizer James Ward found out that the Boring Conference is actually not a boring conference. Many things they talk about are only boring on the surface, and once they explore inside, they are not boring to many people anymore. This conference leads to the question of the definition of boredom, and how people view it differently in different time periods.
b. Does boredom have long term effects on people?
It is a weak knowledge issue because it is a yes/no question. If the answer is yes, people can argue what is the outcome of boredom in a long period of time; if the answer is no, it means that boredom has no long term impacts on people.
c. To what extent does boredom affect depression?
It is a strong knowledge issue because everybody can argue it differently. Some people may think that long term boredom can lead to depression, but others may think that depression is caused by other reasons like accidents.
In Defense of Favoritism
http://chronicle.com/article/In-Defense-of-Favoritism/135610/
a. There are always arguments between parents and children about fairness. A boy who wants to play zombie-killing video game argues with his father why he cannot kill zombies but his cousin Keaton can. He thinks that it is unfair for him. Their argument leads to the question of fairness in life.
b. Is common sense fair?
It is a weak knowledge issue because the answer is either yes or no. People can argue that fairness is based on common sense because that is what most people agree with, but other people can say no to this question because common sense can be different for various groups of people.
c. To what extent does fairness exist?
It is a strong knowledge issue because it depends on personal opinions. People who experience many difficulties in their lives may think that fairness does not exist very much, but other people whose lives are smoother can think that fairness plays an important role in their lives.
“The History of Boredom”
ReplyDeletehttp://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/The-History-of-Boredom-180161211.html?c=y&page=1
a)Real world situation-
James Ward earned a number of followers on Twitter through his blog “JAMES WARD: I LIKE BORING THINGS”, an ode to random things like stationary.
b)Weak KI-
How do people earn more followers on twitter?
c)Strong KI-
Can simplistic language add a weak or strong perspective to the readers thinking?
“The Necessity of Integrating Women into Peace Processes”
http://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2012/11/the-necessity-of-integrating-women-into-peace-processes.html#more
a)Real world situation-
A man is given a position of power. This man never knew his mother, has never been married, and does not have any immediate female family members.
b)Weak KI-
Can this man make decisions that are conscience of female issues and needs?
c)Strong KI-
How can our cultural paradigm relate to our opinions of what is just?
ReplyDeleteCan a Jellyfish Unlock the Secret of Immortality?
a. Researching this type of jellyfish may help scientists discover the secret to immortality.
b. Can the research which results from Kutoba's investigation be applied to human immortality?
this is a weak knowledge issue because while it is open-ended, it is mostly a yes or no question which can be supported by both fact and opinion, and in time can be decisively answered.
c. Is human immortality truly desirable?
This is a strong knowledge issue because it explores higher level knowledge than is discussed in the question and has many plausible answers, all of which will remain so regardless of further research.
A life in writing: Ray Monk
a. Ray Monk argues that their is no such thing as a definitive biography, regardless of the subject.
b. should biographies attempt to be definitive portraits of their subject?
This is a weak knowledge issue because while it has many plausible answers, it is inconsequential and something which, as far as good biographers are concerned, is certainly not what a biography should be like.
c. Is it possible to write a definitive biography of someone OR Are people so one-sided that there can be a definitive biography written about them?
This is a strong knowledge issue because it has many plausible answers and depends on personal opinion and experience, not something that can be taught.