Ways of Knowing Essay

Jason Peterson

December 4, 2009

Theory of Knowledge 2

“People need to believe that order can be glimpsed in the chaos of events (adapted from John Gray, Heresies, 2004).” In what way and to what extent would you say this claim is relevant in at least two areas of knowledge?

The statement is relevant to the natural sciences and history. People have a need to find an “order” because people, as stated in Grendel, are “patternmakers.” We must find a way to make sense of the world around us and by doing so we find ourselves in a state of believed truth. Chaos has no order and thus we cannot grasp the concept of disorder. By finding patterns within things we find that there is “order” within “disorder.” The problem lies with that people need to have an “order.” We cannot simple function without it. I must wake up everyday at 6:45am, take a shower, shave, put on clothes and shoes, tie shoes, and then drive to school. If someone were to disruption our “order” then it is almost seen as taboo. Take example of the first day of school. Everyone goes to their first class and sits where ever they choose and go on throughout their school day, assuming that there are no assigned seats. If this “order” goes on for an extended amount of time then it’s safe to say that close to all of those students are still sitting in their seats in the same way they were on the first day of school. I see it everyday in school; where if one student sits in the seat of another student who sat there the previous day then the second student become enraged at the first student for disrupting the second student’s “order.” One tiny, almost insignificant occurrence (well I think its little), caused the disruption of an entire classroom just because one student interfered with another’s “order.” The same effect goes when parking a car. When I drive to work or to school I park in the same spot every single day. I admit I get mad when I see someone else in “my” parking spot as well. So technically what right do I have to write a paper on the people needs for order where as I myself have my own personal biases? It is because that I experience them as well that enables me to comprehend and understand what I am describing as a way of defining people’s necessity for order.

The sciences have the most chaos than any other area of knowledge. The sciences are the area of knowledge that has, to some degree, the least amount of knowledge obtained so far. Science enables us to put definitions onto things that which we do not comprehend. For instance the basic of the atom is a fundamental theory that has been created so that we can understand what makes up the world and all the objects around us. Physicists tell us that our bodies have millions and millions of molecules that have more space between them and that no molecule is ever “touching” another molecule. Without these basic theories produced by “patternmakers” other pattern makers would not be able to understand what was happening to them amongst the chaos of the world. The natural sciences are based on the chaos of the world and when we try to apply order to thing pre-described disorder can actually cause more harm than good. For example, a few months ago three fellow students and I participated in the “Group 4” project which is common throughout the I.B. programme. We had to learn how to use a pH detector for our experiment; however, we only learned how to use the tool the day prior to the actual field test. This was a problem for us for we were trying to put and “order” to the data that we were collecting however the chaos that was needed in order to attempt to find order caused more problems than solutions. The quick learning of the tools and instruments could not have produced a valid test result and thus not a valid order to the chaos. Natural sciences have theories that are based off the repetitive recreation of a law. A theory is not the same as an idea or belief, yet can a theory not be? A theory in raw form is just the collection of “assumed to be correct” information that we ourselves created in order to find order. Is that not what a belief is? Is that not what religion is? Should we rather consider “science” to be more of a “religion” than a method to attempting to unravel the chaos? Chaos is not a tangible thing that we can comprehend and thus we fear it. Through fear we find comfort in order and thus when our order is disrupted we become fearful. All in all the natural sciences have a way for us to define the order amongst the chaos, but it short there is no way for us to completely understand disorder or order. There are no truths in science just laws and proven theories that we will continue to assume are correct, for we are not capable of knowing that we do not know.

Historians throughout the ages have recorded the past and present knowledge so that we can understand what the past was like. However there is a great downfall to this. If a historian is too write about the 18^th century, should not the author live in the time period to accurately describe it? Also the phrase “the winner of war writes the history” which in short means that history is mainly based on that of a one sided opinion. When reading a history book how do we truly “know” (assuming that there is a thing as “knowing”) that the author is not some washed-up math teacher putting his or her spin on what they think is history? However some exceptions would be that yes many history books go through rigorous processing by other “credited” historians. Yet for a history book to be acknowledged in short means that the information that is within the pages of the book coincides with what the historian believes to be “history.” Reading a book about WWII form an American History text book would be a lot different than that of a Japanese WWII text book. We truly can never know about history because we “pick and choose” what to learn about. We “choose” what we deem to be “relevant” on the topic being learnt. Every “historical” text book on the subject being taught is literally equivalent to that of a grain of sand amongst the Sahara Desert. How do we choose what is relevant or not? What is more important: the goal or the means to reach that goal? There are no “true” answers for these questions just like there are no truths in science or history.

In conclusion the belief that people need order when dealing with chaos is the only “true” information that can be stated. Natural sciences provided us with the ability to see things beyond our own visual spectrum and history teaches valuable lessons from leaders from the past yet we should assume that none of it is “true.” We must live out our lives being naïve so much so that we do not go insane by the sheer vastness of implication of what chaos is and the desperate things we humans have done, are doing, and will be doing in order to find our “order.”

Brave New World Chapter 5

1. What would Michael Pollan (Remember? The Omnivore's Dilemma) say about the first paragraph in Chapter 5?

Michael Pollan would see this a the most realistic future.

2. Do you see any similarities with World State views death as compared to the Hindus? How does Lenina's remembrance of hypnopedia compare with Plato's Republic?

They both see death as a natural process. In Hinduism you can come back as a better person but in the World State you just have to except what you have. In Plato's Republic everyone has a place.

3. What do you think of Lenina's and Henry night out on the town?

It was boring. There was no "new change" for either of them.

4. Why do you think Huxley uses the word "pneumatic" to refer to some female characters?

So that the reader can see that sex is more open in the book that as we perceive it to be in our lives.

5. What is Solitary Service and what are Bernard's feelings towards it?

Its an orgy. He doesn't like it.

Abel Chapter 15 Questions

1. Why is history being rewritten constantly?

We are always writing them wrong.

2. What factors influence the process by which the historian picks and chooses his/her "facts"? Please provide a specific example for each factor.

Are Interest Change: We are more interested in the peasants rather than the kings!

Conceptual Apparatus Changes: We have more materials to look at!

A Review of our Basic Historical Segment Changes: Toynbee holds the most intelligent unit to be not the nation but the "society!"

The "Personal Equation" of the Historian Changes: Before the Historians only wanted to talk about the beheading of Queens. Now the Historians only want to talk about sex!

The Audience for whom he writes Changes: The reading material goes from scholars to kids.

3. What is the "Baconian fallacy?" What would the Positivists think? Would Carr agree with Namier?

"Baconian fallacy?"- A historian only has to collect the facts. That this is true. Yes he would.

4. How does History differ from Geology?

Historian attribute meaning to their data.

5. According to Abel: "The patterns to be found in past events are selected by the historian; like the hypothesis of the scientist, they may be suggested, but are neither imposed nor dictated, by "the facts (p. 166-7)." Based on your experience with the Cheques Lab, how far do you agree with this explanation of history?

I believe it is true because there is no cohesive way to know history.

6. In your opinion, "how will future historians so elect to describe what is going on now(p. 167)?"

They will only pick major events that happened, i.e. 9-11 and Obama. They would talk about the environmentalist with the weather and effecting the world around us. They would also talk about the "age-of-terror" where we are fighting in foreign counties.

7. What is historical pluralism?

Not every event is interrelated.

8. The list of events (or non-events) listed on p. 168 makes Abel ask the question: "Is there, then, no hard core or bed-rock of indisputable facts that the historian must recognize." Does it matter if there ever was a man named Trotsky?

No there is no importance.

9. How is a historian like a physicist

Neither never knows all there is to be known about an event. Both go beyond the evidence, both select their facts and use them, both subjects are self correcting.

10. What are the Five Frameworks or Hypotheses of History? Please provide an example from your HL or SL history class of each.

1. History is Cyclical:
2. Historians have selected a certain factor that he attribute to past events
3. Progress is a philosophy is History
4. History is a great drama of Sin and Redemption
5. Society is a type of living organism

11. Do you believe in Historical Inevitability?

No and yes. There that is the best answer.

12. What does Abel mean when he says: "No crucial experiment can test the validity of a theory of history, any more than than it can the truth of a metaphysical theory (p. 174)."?

Historical theories succeed if they fructify ourself understanding.

13. Abel writes: "Macaulay regards history as a branch of literature (p. 174)." How would Jill Lepore of Just the Facts, Ma'am respond? Please provide to specific quote from the article to justify your claim.

She would agree. She says that Historians and Novelist are brothers.

14. How does the footnote at the bottom of page 175 relate to the Shaper from Grendel?

It talks about things that use to be glorious and the shaper talks about those.

Nacirema

After the Nacirema exercise, please answer the following:

1. What happened yesterday? Why couldn't we recognize our own culture?

Yesterday we found out that we could not recognize our own culture. We could not recognize it because we had been distracted by the music, our eyes saw images and connected them to other things and the personal bais of the writer altered our thoughts.

2. What does your answer say about the the strengths and weaknesses of the Social Sciences like Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology?

The weaknesses are that there are no difinitive answer for the what is real or not in the social world and the sciences have no real merit behind them.

Brave New World Chapter 4

Part 1
1. What puzzles Lenina about Bernard Marx's behavior?

The fact that he seems uncomfortable confuses her, as in this world it is commonplace to discuss their relationships in public, whereas Bernard feels uncomfortable doing this, as he is different than the normal person in that world, and in many ways is more like us.

2. Please provide examples of Lenina using what she learned from hypnopaedia.

Lenina uses various examples of her hypnopaedia "learning" throughout this chapter. On page 63 Lenina says "My word, I'm glad I'm not gamma." which was driven into her through hypnopaedia, and earlier on page 62 says "What a hideous color khaki is." which is the color of Deltas and another and demonstrates further evidence of hypnopaedia.

3. Where are Lenina and Henry going?

They are going to Stoke Poges, an obstacle golf course.

Part 2:
1. What makes Bernard Marx distressed? Why?

He is made distressed by the fact that Lenina is just like everyone else and isn't "special" like him. He is distressed by the fact that she discussed thier relationship in public like the rest of the people in the Brave New World.

2. Where does Helmholtz Watson work? What is his job?

He works in the Propaganda House, the center for propaganda distribution in the Brave New World.

3. What does Bernard have in common with Helmholtz Watson?

He lives in the same appartment as him; they are roommates.

4. What is troubling Helmholtz?

Bernard's behavoir; he does not seem to be acting normally, like the rest of the world, he seems a bit off.

Brave New World Chapter 3

A) Sex, Monogamy & Romance: The idea of Romance, sex and monogamy in the book a Brave New World is completely different than in our own. It is discouraged to have only one sexual partner at a time, and that you should have a relationship with more than one person at a time, as this keeps people from forming to close a bond with one another. The idea of Romance is completely discouraged, and is considered an abomination. It is widely considered unthinkable, to give yourself to one person, instead, as it is put, they are supposed to give themselves to everyone.

B) Sports: In our world, sports are a form of entertainment and enjoyment, while in their world, it is merely a method to create more jobs; it must be complex in order to increase the society's production.

C) Entertainment: Entertainment takes the form of porn and sex. They do not engage in other types of entertainment, games or anything other than sex and porn.

D) Parenthood: The society from A Brave New World also believes that Parenthood is up to the state and children staying with "parents" is absurd.

E) Materialism: There seems to no real materialism in this world, as they lack the freedoms that created materialism. Everything is for the state; there is no time to worry about their material possessions.

F) Religion: There is absolutely no religion, and is viewed as utterly ridiculous, where as in our world, religion is the most important thing in billions of peoples lives.

G) Intoxicants: Also the view of intoxicants is completely different. While most here think they are negative and decode your mind, in their world it is perfectly acceptable to use it, in fact it is encouraged.

Essay- “We see and understand things not as they are but as we are.”

7.) “We see and understand things not as they are but as we are.” Discuss this claim in relation to at least two ways of knowing.

The claim of “we see and understand things not as they are but as we are” is a true statement based on the usage of perception and emotion to discover what are believed truths are. Perception’s downfall is that we do not know what other people see and fell and thus it is hard for us to come to the same underlining truths between each other. I know what the color red is yet someone else may see the red as something else. Emotion’s downfall is that it affects our known judgments. Judgment is our raw believed truth on what is morally right and wrong based on the influenced we gained through our life. These ways of knowing are seen as a way to describe how we “belief” what are the “truths” in life.

Perception is based off our past and present biases. We start off as small young children who are unknowledgeable. The most common example of how a child learns through perception is when the child would accidently touch a hot pan or cooking pot and learns that touching this pot is hot and dangerous. This can be related to Plato’s Cave. The people sitting on the chairs can only see the shadows on the cave’s wall. In connecting this to the burning of the child’s hand, the hot pot resembles the shadows on the wall and the child becomes enlightened when he touches the pot and thus the child essentially leaves the cave. Another tie to Plato’s Cave is in the reading of Brave New World. In the book the children go through shock treatments when they are first trying to learn new things in the world. This new things they are trying to learn are books and flowers but when the go over to look at them the floor would electrocute them. They “learn” that the books and flowers are bad and thus they stay away from them.