Losing Your Memory

Imagine waking up one morning to discover that you have lost your memory. After a few minutes of blind panic, you begin to examine the room you find yourself in. You discover a scribbled note which says ‘Meet George, Piccadilly Circus, 9:30.’ You glance at the clock. It is 8:00 a.m. Since you don’t want to tell anyone about your predicament, you give yourself an hour and a half to work out who you are from the contents of what is clearly your bedroom and make it to Piccadilly Circus to meet George– whoever he is… 

If you find yourself in the presented situation, to what extent do you think you would be able to reconstruct your identity by examining the objects in your room? What problems would you experience in trying to do this, and how similar are they to those facing a historian? 

I first check my nightstand drawer. Inside I find notepads, pens, a pack of sour patch kids, and headphones. Three books are stacked atop the nightstand along with a picture frame in which I recognize myself as the person in the center, but I do not recognize the other 10 people in the picture. I would be able to extrapolate that I was the person in the photo, from a couple years back. If I checked the second drawer in my nightstand I would find my camera, in which I would able to find pictures from the past month– in Rio, California, Hawaii, Japan, Washington DC, New York, and Boston. Recurring figures in the pictures who bear a resemblance to me I might be able to pinpoint as family members, however more distant family members and friends I wouldn’t be able to recognize. I might even be able to guess my nationality based on the fact that I speak English and based on the locations in my photos.

The most useful things in my search would probably be my phone and laptop which would give me a list of contacts– some of which have my same last name (I could probably gather my own name from the list of contacts as well). Other useful tools would be social media pages which could give me my age, nationality, and places I’ve lived including what country I’m currently residing in. I could also scroll through photos of the past few years of my life dating as far back as 2014. Pictures taken over long periods could suggest that I didn’t only visit that place but that I’ve lived there in the past. Email correspondences could also be extremely useful in piecing together an idea of what my life has been like. If I made my way to the bottom-most shelf I would find a memory box full of pictures I’ve drawn, awards won, pieces of writing, as well as more photos of me with friends and family members. At the back of my closet I could perhaps find a photo album from the summer of 2014, including photo captions which could identify other friends and family members.

On my walls are posters of movies, musicians, and tv shows I like and several Paris-themed posters which could indicate that I have lived there. I also have a Moroccan painting on my wall which could suggest I have a connection to that country. If I opened my closet I would find letters from friends which could also be helpful in piecing together the places I’ve been, along with postcards and tickets stubs from places I’ve visited.

Some difficulties which I would experience would probably be that a lot of the evidence in my room could imply certain things about my identity, and I could probably find evidence to strongly support certain implications, but with only the evidence from my room most things about my identity would remain implications. This is also a problem historians face, as it can be difficult to definitively prove certain aspects of history. It might also be difficult to interpret the correct meaning from certain pieces of evidence, as more often than not a single piece of evidence could lead to the construction of several different narratives.  If I don’t remember having experienced the years prior to 2018,  there might be an increased level of difficulty in being able to piece together why I don’t have pictures on my phone prior to 2014 for example or why I don’t have emails before 2010. This is an obvious problem historians experience, as they often have to piece together time periods of which there are no living witnesses.

Are Religions Solely Based on Faith?

KQ: To what extent are religions supported by ways of knowing other than faith?

           This knowledge question calls into investigation the foundation of our religious beliefs.  Do religions thrive on blind faith or is there something deeper that has sustained them through centuries? The Catholic Church’s provision of ideas such as Anselm’s ontological argument  suggest that we need other pathways, in this case the use of reason, to bolster our beliefs, however a large part of religion relies on the basis that we do not question religion– that we put aside ways of knowing such as reason in a demonstration of unwavering dedication to our beliefs.  So which can be credited with having kept religious beliefs thriving into the 21st century?

           I would argue that in the past we might have found it easier to retain an unsubstantiated belief in religion, as religion was the only available explanation for some of the larger questions humanity had such as how this universe was created and what happens to us after death. For the majority of their existence, faith has been the key to sustaining the world’s great religions. Throughout the Middle Ages, for example, scientific medical pursuits was abandoned in favor of prayers and superstition. The Church argued that illnesses were punishments by God because the sick were sinners, therefore advancements in the field of medicine stagnated. Those who had the plague went so far as to whip themselves to apologize for having sinned and demonstration their dedication to God. These practices continued, even though this clearly was not a cure for the plague. There was no evidence to demonstrate that prayer or self-inflicted punishment would cure any disease– only faith– yet religious beliefs thrived in the Middle Ages.

           However faith has never been the sole maintainer of religion– many religious groups have resorted to violence, fear, and cultural domination in order to “protect” their beliefs. It cannot be forgotten that during the Middle Ages the Roman Catholic Church was also using the Inquisition to suppress so-called heresy using various forms of execution and torture. The use of reason in this time would suggest that believing in religion was the much safer option.  And since the Age of Enlightenment when well-supported alternative explanations to questions such as how the Earth was created or how humans came into existence emerged, faith began to waver as a basis for our fundamental beliefs. New variations of religion more heavily based in reason and bolstered in plausibility due to their long standing history, having ingrained themselves in our collective memory and by extent our cultural sense of perception. For example, deism was born — the belief in a God that doesn’t intervene in the universe (that doesn’t have a basis in the Bible). Religion’s presence in culture also creates emotional attachments to our religion. A lot of young people associate themselves with a specific religion as it is part of their culture but are non-practicing, helping to keep the religions alive.

          Therefore, while religion has always had a basis in blind faith, it has not been the sole sustainer of religion. We cannot even make the claim that faith has been the most important maintainer of religion, as we are increasingly being led to question religion– and yet they are still thriving around the world. Religion’s ability to adapt to new time periods has led to its sustenance. And faith cannot be conjured from nothing, religious texts and the history of people of different cultures maintaining a belief in God for thousands of years gives credibility to religious beliefs. A belief in God is as much a part of our culture as eating certain foods or the national anthem– religion allows us to be part of a greater unit. The United States to this day continues to have the motto “in God we trust”.  And we must remember the countless examples of violence being used as a method to sustain a religion. In sum, religions are supported by ways of knowing other than faith to a large extent.

Knowledge Questions

In what ways are religious knowledge systems a part of our humanity?

How do religious knowledge systems influence our ethical choices?

Do religious knowledge systems discourage the use of reason?

To what extent is religion sustained by its historical presence?

Works Cited:

Khalid, Tuqa. “Sun to Align Directly over Kaaba on Friday.” CNN, Cable News Network, 26 May 2016, edition.cnn.com/2016/05/26/middleeast/sun-kabaa-alignment/index.html.

“Medicine in the Middle Ages.” History Learning Site, http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/a-history-of-medicine/medicine-in-the-middle-ages/.

Ethical Dilemmas and Morals

In class, we discussed the “Sinking Ship” ethical dilemma. This dilemma asks us to decide which of 10 characters we would put on the lifeboat, which can only seat 6 people, and which characters we would leave behind, after which they would most certainly die. The characters were a lifeguard, two thirteen year old twins, a woman who thinks she is six months pregnant, two young adults who are recently married, the captain of the ship, a veteran nurse, a senior citizen, and an elementary school teacher. When our group first completed the activity in the allotted 15 minutes we saved the lifeguard, the thirteen year old twins, the woman who believe she is pregnant, and the young adults. We were asked to explain and justify the decisions we made and we did so using our moral convictions that those with the most life left to live and those that can contribute to their survival of the others in the situation should be saved. We then had to complete the activity, abiding by an ethical theory. Our group was given the deontological perspective. We created a moral rule: “young people first” but in the end that moral rule only led to us saving the same characters, which is telling of our personal ethical perspectives, which are probably also deontological.

In what ways do ethical theories expand or limit my knowledge of what is right and wrong?

         Ethical theories limit our knowledge of what is right or wrong, as they provide a single manner to assess ethical dilemmas, thereby hindering our ability to to come to the “right” decision as well as our ability to understand the decisions of others. I believe that a single ethical theory cannot provide the right decision in all ethical dilemmas, and therefore abiding by a single theory will lead to poor decision making. For example, if you abide by the deontological perspective, with your moral rule being “I strive to demonstrate complete fidelity to my religion” you might believe that homosexuality is immoral, as is stated in many ancient religious texts. However in the 21st century that belief is considered to be narrow-minded and even bigoted. Simply abiding by the belief of consequentialism can also lead to immoral decision making, using the “ends justify the means” argument as an excuse. For example, many governments use torture to extract information from terrorists or other highly dangerous criminals. This information can be used to possibly save lives of the people in the country, however torture in itself is usually considered to be unethical. Therefore the decision to use torture, even if it could lead to positive outcomes, can be considered immoral.

         However having the guidance of an ethical theory can persuade you to make moral choices, even when nobody’s watching. Having a strong conviction in a moral belief system in a society can lead to less crime and a greater sense of respect for others leading to the increased well-being of the entire community as a whole. For example in Japan, it is widely believed that everyone should be responsible and clean up after themselves. This can be considered one of their “moral rules.” This conviction is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, commented on even by 16th century Western travellers around the time when Japan began opening up to the world. There are also links between Buddhism and Shintoism and cleanliness. And in Japan this cleanliness isn’t a personal matter, but the individuals in the society are concerned with the general cleanliness of their community which is why there is almost no trash discarded in the streets despite there being a lack of public trash cans and students take time mandatory time out of their days to clean their schools, contributing to greater overall wellbeing. The strong Japanese moral code also contributes to other societal benefits such as a low crime rate.  

              I acknowledge the benefits that an ethical theory can provide, especially when it is abided by a large portion of the population, but I still believe that we must be able to adapt our convictions to the situation and be able to come up with our own moral convictions, rather than just adopt the convictions placed upon us by society, as those placed upon us by society can be misguided such as homophobic religious beliefs. And the Japanese moral code might contribute to the cleanliness and wellbeing of society in certain ways, but it could also be detrimental if applied to all situations. For example, if a Japanese family were to move to California where there is a water shortage and they were to take multiple baths a day as is often done in Japan this could be harmful to the community rather than beneficial. Therefore it is important to be able to be able to apply the ethical theory appropriate to the situation, instead of simply following a single theory blindly.

Word Count: 581

Knowledge Questions

In what ways can strong moral convictions be a vice?

Is it more important to abide by our morals or reason?

Can experience change our sense of what is right and wrong?

Is it ethical to prosecute those with contrary moral convictions to our own?

 

“Very Clean People, the Japanese.” The Economist, The Economist, 31 July 1997, http://www.economist.com/node/153179.

“Water Images.” Free Stock Photos, Pexels, http://www.pexels.com/search/water/.

 

 

An Artist’s Intention

How important is it that the artist’s intention be perceived or understood by the audience?

The question asks us to determine the strength of the correlation between artist intention and the way in which that piece of art is interpreted. Intention is the key word, and the question essentially is how important is intention in art? The topic brings into question the ways in which the intention of the artist is perceived by the audience and in the ways in which the artist’s intention deviates from the interpretation of the audience. The real life situation for this knowledge question is the art piece titled “My Bed” by Tracey Emin’s in which the artist imitated the state of her bed during a period in which she was going through personal struggles. I believe that when an artist has a message to send, when an artist has a particular intention, it is highly important that the piece of art conveys that message.

When the purpose of art is to convey a message, if the audience doesn’t receive that message there is a disconnect between the artist and his or her audience and the purpose of the piece of art is therefore undermined. Tracey Emin’s “My Bed”, which sold for over 3 million dollars and was loaned to the Tate museum, is a reflection of a period in the artist’s own life and a comment on her personal imperfections. There is clear intention behind the piece that is meant to evoke a specific emotion and create a specific connection between the artist and the audience that everyone is imperfect. This piece of art is the equivalent of Emin verbally telling you the story of this period of her life. If you thought the story was about a fun weekend getaway, the message has not come across and her words, in this case the piece of art, have not been successful in carrying out their original purpose.

Another example of art with clear intention was Dana Schutz’s “Open Casket”, a depiction of the mutilated corpse of Emmet Till who was murdered under false accusations in 1955. The artwork was meant to be a reflection on the treatment of black people in that era and the successes and failures of our attempt to provide better treatment of non-white Americans. The artist had a clear goal in mind when creating this painting with a specific emotion meant to be evoked by the work of art. Any other interpretation of the artist’s intention would mean that her effort to provoke discussion on the issue would be for naught.

I believe that such as with any task we undertake, artists have a specific goal when creating a work of art, and more importantly a specific message or emotion they are trying to send through the art. Our job as a audience is to interpret that message, therefore sending our own message back to the artist: you are heard.

Knowledge Questions: 

Can quality art have no purpose?

Does the artist or the audience give art meaning?

Does ambiguity in art lessen its meaning?

Do artists have an ethical responsibility to respond to societal issues?

How does society define what is art?

To what extent are there limitations to that art that artists can create?

Works Cited 

Basciano, Oliver. “Whitney Biennial: Emmett Till Casket Painting by White Artist Sparks Anger.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 21 Mar. 2017, http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/mar/21/whitney-biennial-emmett-till-painting-dana-schutz.

Gallery, Saatchi. “Tracey Emin.” Tracey Emin – My Bed – Contemporary Art, Saatchi Gallery, http://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/artpages/tracey_emin_my_bed.htm.

“I Interviewed My Dad about Tracey Emin’s ‘My Bed’.” Huck Magazine, 2 Apr. 2015, http://www.huckmagazine.com/art-and-culture/art-2/interviewed-dad-tracey-emins-bed/.

Jones, Jonathan. “Tracey Emin Makes Her Own Crumpled Bed and Lies in It, on Merseyside.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 16 Sept. 2016, http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/sep/16/tracey-emin-artist-1998-installation-my-bed-tate-liverpool-merseyside.

Introduction to TOK

What is TOK? 

You shall no longer take things at second or third

hand, nor look

through the eyes of the dead, nor feed on the spectres

in books,

You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take

things from me,

You shall listen to all sides and filter them from your

self…

Not I, not anyone else can travel that road for you,

You must travel it for yourself.

It is not far, it is within reach,

Perhaps you have been on it since you were born and

did not know…

Walt Whitman: From Song of Myself (1855)

When the poet says “you shall no longer take things at second or third hand” he means you will learn through your own experiences instead of through the experiences of others. This could also connect to ToK’s Ways of Knowing as the WoK provide us with different methods in which to come about our own knowledge rather than reiterating the knowledge of others . And when he says “you shall listen to all sides and filter them from yourself” this refers to the concept in ToK of challenging your ideas against the ideas of others, conducting research, and formulating your own ideas instead of taking the ideas of others for granted to form your own Knower’s Perspective, your own outlook. The filter Whitman mentions could also refer to the Ways of Knowing (WoK) in ToK and how we use the different WoKs –reason, intuition, and others– to come to our own conclusions about the knowledge with which we are presented. When he writes “perhaps you have been on it since you were born and did not know” this relates to the idea that you might have done this type of thinking or analysis done before in your life without knowing it. However, ToK will make you more aware of this process of thinking and help you refine the way you learn.

Knowledge Claims

A knowledge claim is something that the person making the claim believes to be true, but is open to debate. There are two different types of knowledge claims. First order knowledge claims are claims made by individuals using personal knowledge or by communities using shared knowledge. These are claims made about the world and how it works.

Examples:

1. Mammals cannot fly.
2. School is a requirement for all minors in the United States.
3. One must work in order to make an income.

Second order knowledge claims are claims made about knowledge itself. They are usually more general, about an Area of Knowledge as a whole and not a specific idea in that AoK.

Examples:

1. Ethics are what tell us what is right or wrong.
2. Darwin’s theory of evolution explains that species evolved by natural selection.
3. Religion always inspires a belief in a higher power.

All knowledge claims should be examined by the knower.

Knowledge Questions 

A knowledge question is a question concerning knowledge where there are at least two plausible alternatives. Knowledge questions must be open, meaning there must be at least two plausible answers and no “right” answer. Vocabulary used in knowledge questions shouldn’t be specific to one subject. Rather, knowledge questions should be based around general ToK concepts and focus on how knowledge is acquired in a certain Area of Knowledge (AoK). Knowledge questions should be based off of a real life situation, but shouldn’t use specific vocabulary from that real life situation.

1. How do we judge the contributions of history?
2. Is the accumulation of knowledge more important than the accumulation of beliefs?
3. Is knowledge of the hard sciences and mathematics more strongly justified than knowledge of history?

Possible beginnings to knowledge questions:

• In what ways…
• Can we be sure…
• How does…
• To what extent…
• Is…
• How do we know…

More knowledge question examples.

What is Knowledge? 

Professor A C Grayling speaks on the topic of the Theory of Knowledge

In the video a well known professor in the field of epistemology speaks on what qualifies as knowledge, what a belief is, and what the proper justification is to call something knowledge. In the video, he speaks on Plato’s “JTB” theory, that knowledge is a justified, true, belief. However, there is a flaw in the justification leg of the theory, because Grayling says you can have a justification that creates the wrong connection between your belief and what is true. On belief, he says that it is a mental state connected to things in the outside world, but not in a way that guarantees the belief’s truth.

Knowledge Claims made by Grayling

• Knowledge is justifyingly believing something to be true. 
• You can have justification that creates the wrong connection between your belief and what is true.
• Justification is some form of evidence.
• The justification needed to prove that something is knowledge depends on subject matter.
• To believe something is to trust that it is true.
• A belief is a mental state connected to things outside that mental state, but not in a way that guarantees the belief to be true.

Knowledge Questions Based on Grayling’s Knowledge Claims

• Does all knowledge start as a belief?
• To what extent do we believe more strongly in beliefs than in knowledge?
• To what extent does truth deviate from knowledge?

 

Works Cited

“LibGuides: Theory of Knowledge: WAYS OF KNOWING.” WAYS OF KNOWING – Theory of Knowledge – LibGuides at Tanglin Trust School, libguides.tts.edu.sg/c.php?g=82238&p=530080.

“Basic ToK Concepts.” Theory of Knowledge 2015, hmontenegrotok.blogspot.com.br/2014/09/basic-tok-concepts.html.

“Definitions of Knowledge Claims and Knowledge Questions.” Who Is Adam Clark, whoisadamclark.com/theory-of-knowledge/knowledge-claims-knowledge-questions/.