TOK Essay Title 5 Nov 2021: “If all knowledge is provisional, when can we have confidence in what we claim to know?” Answer with reference to two areas of knowledge.
A probe into the nature of knowledge unfurls many questions in the mind on the authenticity of a piece of fact to be claimed as knowledge. What makes us claim ‘to know something’?
Though facts are verifiable and form a base to be called as justified and true, there may be cases where these facts are prone to shifts because of the ever changing nature of knowledge. Changes and progress may add on to the provisional or conditional nature of a prior established knowledge.
Now, the confusion which may push you to reflect deeper is the numeric attribute of knowledge-the word ‘all’ says it all. So, are we trying to say that we are okay if some knowledge is permanent and unconditional?
Also, what are the prerequisites to consider some knowledge as testifiable and some not. Is there any option for you to claim an assertion based on your belief? It’s time to unzip the difference between knowledge and belief.
Moreover, you get to inspect the plethora of ways of knowing (WOKs). How to you attribute a knowledge acquired through you sense of perception, language, and memory? On one hand, emotions and intuition play a key role in defining our knowledge framework with an unconditional touch, while reasoning adds on to a deeper introspection of verifying the knowledge with certain evidences.
Is it always necessary for a knowledge to be unconditional and permanent, if we claim to know that? Can we not bank on a provisional evidence to substantiate our claim?
It’s also true that the huge scope of research in Natural Science leaves room for empirical evidence to be tested as experiences get new exposure.
In the study of Ethics, you may encounter prior accepted principles which form the basis of inference. However, the question is can these unconditional principles not face an attack of revaluation?
Such questions on when to attach confidence interval to evidences which are provisional would make you dive deep to redefine knowledge and knowledge claim.