Reflection: Although science is an area of knowledge in our daily lives to prove and to discover new ideas and theories, it is important to note that science is only this: theory. Although it is provided with evidence, how does one know whether the result was due to a law or a coincidence? How does one tell a law from a coincidence? Couldn't there be many coincidences or does a coincidence only happen once?
August 12, 2011 - Areas of Knowledge: Science
September 14, 2011 - Science and Social Responsibility
September 20, 2011 - Social Science Claims
September 28, 2011 - Psychology
October 6, 2011 - Sample Presentations
Reflection: I think it's interesting to think about all these attempts at explanations of this one word and concept called "science". Popper's idea of falsifying our theories was surprising because I had never thought about science that way. To me, it was trying to prove something, or trying to find something new, trying to see the results rather than trying to find the flaws in the method. I also got the opportunity to understand Kuhn's explanation. It shows how science is always developing through revolution. Each time we go through a revolution, our science develops and grows to a higher level. However, how do we know if we're going forward, rather than going backwards? How do we know if we're developing or if we're straying from the truth?
August 16, 2011 - Areas of Knowledge: Social Sciences
Reflection: The subject of study of our class today really had me think about the validity of statistics. There are so many problems with statistics as they are easily manipulated. Since this is the case, how can we gain information from the data presented? How can we know that the data is valid? Is the reputation of the presenter enough for us to gain their trust? For example, if BBC presents data, is it valid to argue that their statistics are reliable just because they are known as a big and famous news company, in which their job is to deliver the news to the public? Is there a "perfect" way to collect and portray data? If not, why do we choose to be exposed to the data that might have been easily distorted or manipulated? Because we have developed such a high means of media, we are more exposed to information, whether this be valid or not. Thus, by reasoning and contemplating on these questions, we should make decisions in whether we want to believe or dismiss the data presented.
August 18, 2011 - Areas of Knowledge: Arts
Reflection: Prior to this class, I never thought of art to be an area of knowledge. I thought it was merely an outlet for emotions, a hobby rather than a source of knowledge. Once I began to think of the arts as an area of knowledge, I began to understand the power of analysis that the teachers are always trying to show us through English class as we analyze poetry and novels and plays, or through Dance class as we analyze movements, or Art classes as we analyze pieces of artwork. It is through these analysis that we get a glimpse of, or try to predict what the artist is trying to convey. As these are simply predictions, there are never really wrong answers. As these are simply predictions, the arts can be viewed as being similar to the natural sciences and the social sciences as they try to predict, and observe in order to make a claim. In these ways, it makes me think that all the areas of knowledge are interrelated in some way.
August 22, 2011 - Areas of Knowledge: Math
Reflection: Math to me, was always certain. I didn't think it was a prediction like the sciences or the arts. For me, math was either right or wrong, yes or no. Through the class discussions, I have come to realize that math too, came from humans. From this, I now feel that math can be wrong, although very logically proven and thus less likely to be uncertain than the other areas of knowledge. What fascinated me during the class discussions was the question, "Is math discovered or invented?" In ways, I feel that math is both. I believe that we invented the concepts of numbers, however it seems that the laws are discovered after many years of observation of patterns. However, another person may view it this way: in that the people manipulate the numbers to invent a mathematical law. Although the numbers may have simply been numbers, it is the human minds that overanalyze and try to come up with a pattern.
August 24, 2011 - Areas of Knowledge: Ethics
Reflection: Ethics was an interesting area of knowledge for me as well. I thought we were all born with ethics, and ethics was part of nature. With that said, the concept of ethics brings up lots of knowledge issues and thus is appropriate to investigate in the theory of knowledge class. Because everyone has different opinions, I feel that everyone has different ethical views - this being what makes ethics so interesting. Even though there are some ideas that are accepted as being morally wrong or morally right, there are times when the line between right and wrong is blurred. If this is the case, then who decides what's wrong and what's right? Is this why people turn to religion?
September 6, 2011 - Areas of Knowledge: Science
Reflection: I thought the discussion about science and pseudo-science was very interesting. I didn't think people really believed in witchcraft, or crystology or divination etc. However, now that I look at it, I feel that some people could say it's similar to religion. Some people may believe religion is absurd, while others may take it very seriously. I think now, this is the same case with the pseudo-sciences. Before this class, I had never heard of the concept of Feng Shui, crystology; and the other ones we came up with, I only heard about them through Harry Potter. This reminds me of the time when I wondered, "what if we were the 'muggles' in Harry Potter, and wizards and witches really existed? Would we ever know if they were real?" I knew it didn't really matter and so it was pointless, and silly, but how do we know if these things really exist? We may use the ways of knowing such as sense perception, language, emotion etc. but will we ever know?
September 8, 2011 - Scientific Norms
Reflection: I thought the article about Hwang Woo-Suk was interesting. I hadn't heard about him before, but I think because he was Korean, I felt a stronger connection to the article, and was more interested. He had broken the scientific norms of disinterestedness as he worked in order to gain fame and wealth, and communalism as he had not shared his information about his results and the process of experimentation. Although he didn't end up going to jail, I feel that he received the punishment he deserved as the most important aspects to life for him was fame and wealth. Through the media, he had lost his reputation and source of wealth and so these two aspects were taken away from him. Due to this one incident, he had lost his trust. However for the outsider's point of view, it may seem that he did not receive the punishment he deserved. However, I believe because he thought of wealth and fame to be the most important factors in life, and these were taken away from him leaving him with practically nothing, he got the punishment he deserves.
September 14, 2011 - Science and Social Responsibility
Reflection: This debate on whether the scientists are responsible for their actions is quite interesting. I believe that they are responsible in that they are agreeing to go through with this experiment. I believe that they have a choice. This choice makes them responsible. However, it's interesting to note that people can approach this topic from the viewpoint that they do not have a choice because it's the matter of having a job or not. Because our society depends so much on money, people could argue that these people do not have a choice. Still, I feel that this can be disproved by thinking that these people have the choice to look for another job. I think this topic relates to the idea of ethics in that it tests how far a person is willing to go before they are willing to reject the task given.
September 20, 2011 - Social Science Claims
Reflection: Prior to this class, I always thought claims had to be true. However, from this class, I learned that claims did not have to be true, it was simply a statement. I found "class is the determining factor in educational success" to be particularly interesting as there are many knowledge issues pertinent to this claim. For example, who decides what is educational success and how is this measured (through standardized tests, grades, salary, the school one enrolls in…)? How do these tests or observations take into account people who are naturally smart? Is it even possible to be naturally smart? Also, how does it take into account people who have not had exposure to prior education? Claims can sometimes be misleading pointing to truth. However, one must take into consideration the knowledge issues before fully believing in the claims presented.
September 28, 2011 - Psychology
Reflection: Psychology in general amuses me. We as humans are investigating our own brains and how it functions. However, how reliable is this study if it's a social science and thus relies on patterns, has limited sample sizes, and uses surveys to conduct their experiments? Since ethics must be emphasized when conducting an experiment, does this limit the knowledge one can gain from the human brains? Perhaps the term "theories" used, suggests the level of ambiguity and exceptions applicable to this area of study. Yet psychology is considered to be among the social sciences, an area of knowledge. What does this suggest about the reliability of our knowledge?
October 6, 2011 - Sample Presentations
Reflection: The sample presentations were helpful in that they showed us the wide range of methods in which we can approach it. I felt that it was helpful in receiving the creativity aspects of this presentation because prior to watching the samples, I had felt that this presentation had to be extremely formal. I also found the topics to be interesting. The topic was broad, and I felt that rather than explaining the topic, the group who did better on the presentation was the one who discussed the problems of knowledge using ways of knowing.
October 10, 2011 - Social Sciences
Reflection: I really enjoyed the discussion about the connection between history and memory. I had always thought memory was our personal history, a history of our own life and experiences. If recorded, our memories could become history as time passes. I think both history and memory are related in the sense that both are unreliable. For example, we could convince ourselves that the event actually happened when it didn't. Perhaps, it was only a dream, or your imagination. How can we be sure that the event actually happened? This is the same for history. A person could have created an event that didn't happen and made up fake evidence to make it credible. Yet, centuries later, people would look back at the evidence and could believe that this actually happened. This means that we are capable of creating history (whether true or fictional). With this power, how can we be sure that the history provided is absolutely reliable and true?
October 12, 2011 - Historiography
Reflection: Today we looked at some presentations and I had to present my topic on pirated CDs and DVDs in Vietnam. I felt very nervous as I looked around to see my fellow classmates, the IB year 1 students, Mr. Tyro, Ms. Jackson and the camera. We looked at the issue from two main perspectives: the artist and the seller. Is piracy a form of stealing or a form of advertising the artist? I think this is an interesting topic because we usually accept piracy to be negative, however from a different point of view, piracy can be looked upon as being positive. Which point of view is more reliable? Should there be an accordance universally, or is it OK to think in these two manners, especially when a rule must be set based on this issue?
November 9, 2011 - Presentations
Reflection: We were able to watch other presentations today. I thought Philip's group had a very interesting topic. I thought it was very absurd that the son could not give his blood just because of the possibility that he might have HIV due to his preferences. Even when the mother agreed to risk this, the hospital wouldn't allow it. Is it fair that the doctor has more influence on the patient's life than the patients themselves? Is it ethical to stop trying just because there is a slight possibility of the patient getting HIV? Is it fair to let the son watch his mother die even though he knows he can save her, just because the doctor wouldn't allow him to give his blood? I think this issue signals the discrimination our society still has on people who do not conform to the norms. Yet, our society constantly seeks people who stand out from the crowd, who are different. This strikes me as being quite ironic.
November 11, 2011 - Presentations
Reflection: I thought Tadhg's presentation about the twins was very interesting. I always thought that personality could change, and that we have the power to determine our personality. However, Tadhg's presentation looked at this in a different view and pointed out that the personalities were shown to be innate. How do we know whether personalities are affected by nurture or nature? It is possible that a person pretends to be quiet and shy when his/her DNA shows that s/he is loud and outgoing; the person could also be quiet and shy because that's who s/he really is. How do we know?
November 15, 2011 - Math
Reflection: Is math discovered or invented? I thought it was interesting to see that nature contains math: in leaves, flower petals, snowflakes etc. Although it can be looked in the perspective that math was invented to meet our practical needs, I personally think that math is discovered. I think that because math is found in nature, it already existed; we just placed a name on the concept. However, I think it's unrealistic to think that we will ever know, because we cannot go back in time to observe this firsthand. I feel that it doesn't matter whether math was invented or discovered, what matters is that math is applicable in life today and that's why we spend years to gain knowledge from it.
November 22, 2011 - Unpacking Prescribed Titles
Reflection: I really thought this "unpacking" was helpful. When I first read the titles, I thought that the question about language shaping and limiting our knowledge was the one I should write on. However, through the unpacking of the other questions, I felt that the question linking religion and the natural sciences was the one I should write about. I found it helpful to see how other people interpreted the questions.
November 24, 2011 - TED Talk
Reflection: In this TED Talk, Bruce Bueno de Mesquita talks about the ability to predict human's actions. He makes a link to Iran and what this country will do in the future. He makes the generalization that people are only concerned with the outcome and being credited. Personally, I think he is quite cynical in the way he makes this hasty generalization to reason. If he reasons with this fallacy, does it mean that his argument is invalid? Or should this fallacy simply be taken into account but considered as being insignificant?
November 28, 2011 - Math
Reflection: Today we watched a TED Talk by a French mathematician. He pointed out the places where math is evident in our daily lives. He gave the example of the cauliflower, and that when we cut bits of cauliflower, the bits are identical to the whole shape of the cauliflower itself. Thus, the cauliflower is a fractal. He also pointed out that sometimes math is unrealistic. He gave the example of measuring coastlines and roughness. How can we measure the coastline? As we get nearer to the coastline, the measurements increase. As we get further away, the measurements decrease. Which measurement is accurate? Also, how can roughness be determined by a number? Roughness is associated with a feeling. How can a feeling be associated with numbers? Who decides what number is considered rough, and what number is considered smooth? Is it reliable? Does it need to be reliable or is it simply a practical way to categorize and label the surface's texture?
November 30, 2011 - Ethics
Reflection: We began to talk about ethics and some of the theories/concepts linked with this area of knowledge. I had to present about categorical imperative. I thought this was an interesting concept. It states that everyone should act to benefit the society regardless of the consequences. Although this sounds like it would make the world a better place, how does one decide if it will benefit the society? How does one know that his intentions are truly correct, rather than seeming correct? Is there a difference?
October 12, 2011 - Historiography
Reflection: Throughout the discussion, it struck me how we base so much knowledge on history. Many universities require students to have taken history for at least 2 years in High School; people are constantly shocked when a person does not know about a historical event. We make so many claims about the people, the culture, the mistakes and accomplishments of the past and believe them to be true. From the discussion, I was able to think about the reliability of claims about history and the way we obtain so-called facts about history. How will we know if the information is valid if we were never there to witness it? Even if we were there to witness it, how would we know that we're not being biased, and that we have captured the whole picture?
October 14, 2011 - History
Reflection: By comparing the two textbooks written in the US and Vietnam, I was able to witness the bias of history firsthand. I was able to acknowledge the power of language in diction and connotation. Both textbooks tried to portray their side as being less belligerent and violent than the other through these means. Although the information may not be completely false, it can be fallacious with the absence of other information. By omitting the "mistakes" and simply writing about the "good", the image presented of the government will be completely different than if the reader had seen their flaws. In this sense, how reliable are history textbooks? Is it better to read from a wide variety of sources? If the books contrast in point of view, how should one determine which one is more valid?
October 25, 2011 - History
Reflection: I thought the Great Person Theory of History to be very interesting. It really supports the idea that one person is capable of making and shaping history. Although this may sound appealing and inspiring, I have a hard time accepting this theory. Sure, if it wasn't for Hitler, there may not have been a Holocaust. However, I believe that other incidents like the Holocaust would have provoked the same emotions of disgust, shock, fear, sympathy and sorrow. It is probable that the incident would have been very different, and the torture involved would be very different, but I believe that it is within mankind to make mistakes, whether small or large. As horrible as it sounds, I think that if Hitler didn't provoke these emotions from the Holocaust, someone else would have. I think that the history would be similar regardless of the people, and that it is only a matter of whose name appears on the textbooks.
October 27, 2011 - Social Science
Reflection: Although social science is an area of knowledge, one needs to be very cautious when obtaining information from this area, like anywhere else. The information may be conducted through a survey or observation and presented in a data table or a graph. These may seem reliable sources of information. After all, they are portraying the results collected from the data. However, these information can be manipulated very easily. For example, a graph's axis could be manipulated to make 40% and 800% appear to be similar or completely different, depending on how the person wants the data to be displayed. By simply adjusting the axis scale, the person is able to change the perception of the audience and manipulate it. This thought has led me to become more cautious when obtaining information from different sources.
October 31, 2011 - What is beauty?
Reflection: Today's discussion has allowed me to become more open-minded about what should be considered as being beautiful. Although we all have ideas about what should be considered as being beautiful (through the conformity in opinions), beauty also depends on culture and perception. From the presentation, I was able to realize that beauty is subjective; there is no right or wrong answer. Most people from past generations believed that chubby women were beautiful. However, in today's society, most people believe that skinny, tall women are beautiful. It is possible that both are beautiful. It depends on the person who is viewing the work or person, and the context and culture of the viewer.
November 2, 2011 - Sharing of Field Notebooks
Reflection: I thought Wei Syn's presentation about music and silence was very interesting. I thought it was strange that people paid money to go see a respected musician simply sit in front of the piano, opening and closing the lids. I wondered about his intentions. Was he trying to say that the sounds around us are music themselves? Or that we are capable of creating out own music? Or did he truly think that silence was beautiful music? And the audience, did they pay money and clap at the end of his piece because they truly thought it was amazing, or was it because he's a respected musician or simply because it's custom to do so? How do we categorize music, and who decides what is acceptable to be considered as music, distinguishing it from sounds?
November 7, 2011 - Presentations
November 9, 2011 - Presentations
Reflection: We were able to watch other presentations today. I thought Philip's group had a very interesting topic. I thought it was very absurd that the son could not give his blood just because of the possibility that he might have HIV due to his preferences. Even when the mother agreed to risk this, the hospital wouldn't allow it. Is it fair that the doctor has more influence on the patient's life than the patients themselves? Is it ethical to stop trying just because there is a slight possibility of the patient getting HIV? Is it fair to let the son watch his mother die even though he knows he can save her, just because the doctor wouldn't allow him to give his blood? I think this issue signals the discrimination our society still has on people who do not conform to the norms. Yet, our society constantly seeks people who stand out from the crowd, who are different. This strikes me as being quite ironic.
November 11, 2011 - Presentations
Reflection: I thought Tadhg's presentation about the twins was very interesting. I always thought that personality could change, and that we have the power to determine our personality. However, Tadhg's presentation looked at this in a different view and pointed out that the personalities were shown to be innate. How do we know whether personalities are affected by nurture or nature? It is possible that a person pretends to be quiet and shy when his/her DNA shows that s/he is loud and outgoing; the person could also be quiet and shy because that's who s/he really is. How do we know?
November 15, 2011 - Math
Reflection: Is math discovered or invented? I thought it was interesting to see that nature contains math: in leaves, flower petals, snowflakes etc. Although it can be looked in the perspective that math was invented to meet our practical needs, I personally think that math is discovered. I think that because math is found in nature, it already existed; we just placed a name on the concept. However, I think it's unrealistic to think that we will ever know, because we cannot go back in time to observe this firsthand. I feel that it doesn't matter whether math was invented or discovered, what matters is that math is applicable in life today and that's why we spend years to gain knowledge from it.
November 22, 2011 - Unpacking Prescribed Titles
Reflection: I really thought this "unpacking" was helpful. When I first read the titles, I thought that the question about language shaping and limiting our knowledge was the one I should write on. However, through the unpacking of the other questions, I felt that the question linking religion and the natural sciences was the one I should write about. I found it helpful to see how other people interpreted the questions.
November 24, 2011 - TED Talk
Reflection: In this TED Talk, Bruce Bueno de Mesquita talks about the ability to predict human's actions. He makes a link to Iran and what this country will do in the future. He makes the generalization that people are only concerned with the outcome and being credited. Personally, I think he is quite cynical in the way he makes this hasty generalization to reason. If he reasons with this fallacy, does it mean that his argument is invalid? Or should this fallacy simply be taken into account but considered as being insignificant?
November 28, 2011 - Math
Reflection: Today we watched a TED Talk by a French mathematician. He pointed out the places where math is evident in our daily lives. He gave the example of the cauliflower, and that when we cut bits of cauliflower, the bits are identical to the whole shape of the cauliflower itself. Thus, the cauliflower is a fractal. He also pointed out that sometimes math is unrealistic. He gave the example of measuring coastlines and roughness. How can we measure the coastline? As we get nearer to the coastline, the measurements increase. As we get further away, the measurements decrease. Which measurement is accurate? Also, how can roughness be determined by a number? Roughness is associated with a feeling. How can a feeling be associated with numbers? Who decides what number is considered rough, and what number is considered smooth? Is it reliable? Does it need to be reliable or is it simply a practical way to categorize and label the surface's texture?
November 30, 2011 - Ethics
Reflection: We began to talk about ethics and some of the theories/concepts linked with this area of knowledge. I had to present about categorical imperative. I thought this was an interesting concept. It states that everyone should act to benefit the society regardless of the consequences. Although this sounds like it would make the world a better place, how does one decide if it will benefit the society? How does one know that his intentions are truly correct, rather than seeming correct? Is there a difference?
