Theory of Knowledge Essay Plan
Question 6: ‘Present Knowledge is wholly dependent on past knowledge’. Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.
AOK: -Natural Sciences
-Indigenous Knowledge Groups[A1]
Thought Process
- Can something be wholly dependent on past knowledge or be fully independent from the background?
- What does ‘wholly’ means in the context?
-DNA Model discovery could have been wholly dependent or partially on past knowledge in the area.
-Argue that they couldn’t make the discovery if they had no background in biochemistry and research (Stole the photos from Franklin’s office)
-If they didn’t know chemistry and elements, then the discovery won’t be possible.
-Counterclaim: they may have made the discovery without the use of the photo (modeling method ball and stick- physical representations of the molecules).
- Is it possible to create a completely new knowledge? How can it be evaluated that the knowledge is not connected/ based upon the past knowledge?
Example: Once they came with the up with the idea of DNA MODEL, the only way that people can agree or disagree to it (become shared knowledge) is by having basic past knowledge in sciences.
- What does new knowledge mean? Why is it produced? Why is new knowledge needed?
Example: DNA Model was new knowledge because the structure was not known before, and so this discovery was needed to explain the functions of DNA.
- In order to claim that you can produce new knowledge, you have to have some background to understand and framework that you can base new knowledge on.
Example: Model of DNA by Watson and Crick was based on past knowledge and research by Rosaline Franklin (X-Ray Crystallography) and (Natural Sciences)
- Counterargument: would lack of background knowledge prevent someone from producing new knowledge? [A3]
Example: Charles Sanders Piece (1839-1914), philosopher, mathematician and scientist who was a solitary eccentric working in the town of Milford, Pennsylvania, isolated from any intellectual center.(Natural Sciences)
- An indigenous person would create new knowledge, there is probably a lot of knowledge that is not known to us.
Example: Amazonian Tribes may have a lot of knowledge in plant science and their medical properties, that are not known to us, without having ‘our’ version of background knowledge. (Indigenous Knowledge Groups)
Specific Indigenous Medicine/Cures/ Scientific Method
-Where did they get their knowledge?
-Counterclaim: within the community you can also have some kind of past knowledge that can be used to produce present knowledge.[A4]
-Present knowledge is new knowledge compared to the past.In science the present knowledge is always evolving
- A representative of our science could want to obtain the knowledge from the indigenous community in order to create new knowledge within our community.()
- We receive new knowledge from the indigenous source and pass it though our scientific framework/ method to test it, using our own background knowledge to backup the test.
- If the Indigenous community wants to obtain knowledge from our scientific knowledge, they might try to fit it into their framework [A6] (adopt our technology etc.)
Example:
-FIT OUR TECHNOLOGY INTO THEIR FRAMEWORK :
Systems
Good – apply this to the DNA example
This could be an interesting argument if you find a good example.
Good – discuss different types of “past knowledge” – frameworks/paradigms.
Research an example for this.
Try to find an example of this too.
In the conclusion, don’t forget to discuss the title question. What does “wholly” mean? Is it possible to create completely new knowledge?
