To what extent are we able to reach a certainty for ourselves, without depending on the discoveries of others?
How can knowledge be created?
By ourselves (applying WOKs on our own)
Using previous knowledge (depending on shared knowledge)
The PT suggests the idea that...(justification of the kq)
Concept of certainty: confidence, true
1st Approach
Counter
Argument
Starts from previous
knowledge of others
If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.
Letter from Isaac Newton to Robert Hooke in 1676
Book of Stephen Hawking in 2004 signalize the giants of Newton
Nicolás Copérnico (1473-1543)
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
Johannes Kepler (1571-1630)
Discussion
Argument
Starts from acquired ideas from our own
The process of information using: Intuition, Imagination, Sense perception
Information is acquired by being told, whereas knowledge can be acquired by thinking---Fritz Machlup
Example Darwing: he discovered part of the
theory of evolution making observations
Perplexity is the beginning of knowledge---Khalil Gibran
Critical Thinking: the capacity to analyze, understand and evaluate the information to create knowledge
Conclusion
Although we need the knowledge already discovered to carry on developing something new, it is our own personal effort what allow us to produce knowledge
How can knowledge be created?
2nd Approach
Counter Argument
Empirism
All our knowledge comes from our senses, experiences and perceptions, and our mind interprets them
John Locke--- No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience.
Aristoteles---abstraction---create concepts
No certainty: Hume
Discussion of the counter-argument: Kant
Argument
Rationalism
Mistrust our senses and
perceptios
Doubt
Interpret
knowledge
By doubting we are led to enquire, and by enquiry we perceive the
truth---Peter Abélard
The capacity of the reason to discover the objective
truth
Reason vs
experiences
By doubting we are led to enquire, and by enquiry we perceive the
truth---Peter Abélard
Innate ideas
Plato, Decard and Galileo
More recent example from maths
Conclusion
The knowledge can come from our senses, perceptions and experiences but on the other hand we can also mistrust them
Conclusion
We may be learned with another man´s learning, but we can only be wise with wisdom of our own---Michel de Montaigne
If we lack some previous acquired ideas we may not understand the knowledge produced by others, so
the combination of both is the key that opens our mind
TOK of Kant
Synthesis between empirism and rationalism
There is only knowledge when the sensitive experience is added to the rational elements of the knowledge
"All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to understanding, and ends with reason"
To what extent are we able to reach a certainty
for ourselves, without depending on the
discoveries of others?