Ways of knowing are what provide us
with the necessary information and
understanding in order to develop
knowledge within an area of
knowledge. Ways of knowing interact
with each other to a very high extent;
therefore each area of knowledge uses
a network of ways of knowing in
gaining knowledge.
One way of Knowing is not enough to get
the necessary information and
understanding to gain knowledge.
By using different ways of knowing, a deeper
understading within an area is gained. this is because
they provided different perspectives and methods to
understand and gain knowlegde
Ways of knowing need eachother. They become stroger, more
reliable and effective when linked with one another. This means that,
for example, intuition alone is not as effective in gaining
knowledgeas intuiton and reason together
Central knowledge question
To what extent do ways of knowing
interact with eachother in order to build up
knowledge?
To what extent is a way of knowing more
important than the others to gain knowledge within an area?
To what extent is the knowledge obtained
through different ways more relevant than
that obtained by one way of knowing?
Reasons i'm interested in the title
The title makes me analyze and reflect the ways in
which we gain knowledge within specific areas of
knowledge. This is interesting as many questios arise:
do WoK’s really interact with eachother? Is there any
AoK that uses only one WoK to gain knowledge?...
The title allows me to show my
understanding of TOK and explore
knowledge through various perspectives
and lenses. As it asks me to focus in 2
specific areas of knowledge, it allows me to
be specific and evaluate each one of them
thoroughly
This title is interesting as it is asking us to link together
important aspects of TOK (ways of knowing) in order to
show their importance within an area of knowledge. I
think it is very interesting to think about ways of
knowing; their relationship with each other and with the
different areas. This is because when we understand this
we can understand how is it that we gain knowledge.
Areas of knowledge
The arts
The arts are an area of knowledge based on creative skill. This
suggests that it is a more subjective area of knowledge; that
knowledge for the arts is not very specific and cannot be
classified as right or wrong. This means that the arts use
emotion and imagination as directly influential ways of
knowing. However, reason is also essential for an artwork to
be effective, due to the fact that an artist needs to support his
creative process. Moreover, language is used in the arts to
communicate ideas and concepts. Having this said, the arts are
an area of knowledge that uses a network of different ways of
knowing in order to gain knowledge.
Ways of knwing
Reason • Intuition
• Emotion • Language
• Memory
Mathematics
Mathematics is a very rational area of knowledge. It is
based on absolute objectivity and only works if every
element and component is logic with each other.
However, mathematic are used in many other fields such
as design, medicine and social sciences. This means that
reason is not enough in order to get sufficient knowledge
within this area. Intuition, memory and language are also
extremely effective in allowing us to gain knowledge.
Mathematics is also believes to be the language of the
universe, hence language as a WoK is directly related to
this.
Mathematics is a very rational area of knowledge. It is based on
absolute objectivity and only works if every element and
component is logic with each other. However, mathematic are
used in many other fields such as design, medicine and social
sciences. This means that reason is not enough in order to get
sufficient knowledge within this area. Intuition, memory and
language are also extremely effective in allowing us to gain
knowledge. Mathematics is also believes to be the language of
the universe, hence language as a WoK is directly related to this
Possible counter arguments
It is possible to say that emotion and
imagination are enough ways to gain
knowledge in the arts. This depends no only
on the artwork created, but on the type of
art (i.e. Music, visual arts, drama). It is
possible that one art needs more WoK’s
than the other, depending on their different
aims. It is not necessary to have historical
knowledge or knowledge of the artistic
techniques in a piece (using reason) to
understand and connect with it. This
suggests that a network of ways of knowing
is not completely necessary in order to gain
knowledge within the arts.
Arguing that a network of ways of knowing is needed in
mathematics can be wrong. Sometimes, reason is enough
to get the necessary information and understanding to
gain knowledge. If a lot of logic and reasoning is applied,
an individual can connect with and understand
mathematics. It is also important to question if humans
created mathematics or if they existed and were
discovered. This is because if they existed, it was by
reasoning that humans discovered them and developed
them. In mathematics, things are right or wrong; black or
white; there are no gray spaces. This suggests that some
WoKs don’t apply here, such as emotion.
Ways of knowing interact with each other
only to a certain extent. -They don't all
interact with each other. -sometimes it is
possible to gain knowledge only with one
WoK. -Sometimes it it not necessary to
gain a deep knowledge, hence one WoK is
enough