Knowledge and the knower - mini essay

Write an 800 word essay responding to one of the questions below.

The rubric under which your essay entry will be assessed is on the next page – it is based
on the official TOK essay criteria.

Essay should include a bibliography and in-text citations using the format "Cite Them
Right 10th edition - Harvard". Paperpile is the school's suggested referencing tool; login
with your school Google account via the school library webpage and read the instructions!

Titles (pick one)

1. To what extent do our personal knowledge and/or characteristics limit our

acquisition of new knowledge?
2. To what extent do you agree that reason is the slave of our emotions?
3. “I think the people (in this country) have had enough of experts…”. To what extent
do you agree with Michael Gove?

Some things you could consider:

1. Personal knowledge and/or characteristics can include a variety of things; in the ToK
course thus far we have looked at filters, biases, and the knowledge communities
which we belong to. An examination of the degree to which one of these impacts our
ability to acquire knowledge would make for an effective mini-essay. We might also
want to give some thought to knowledge of what? Does this apply to all types of
knowledge equally?
2. This is an opportunity to engage with the age-old debate about what we are as
knowers, and to weigh the relative role that reason and emotion play in our psyches
and the way we approach / evaluate / accept knowledge.
3. The focus of this question should be on the role of experts; Gove’s quote implies that
they are of limited use/relevance and that people are right to disregard their
opinions. To what extent do you think this is true?

Make sure you:

● Include specific examples to support your claims
● Discuss both two different perspectives. These may be a claim and counterclaim, but
you should be wary of contradicting yourself
● Consider the implications of your arguments; if they are true, what does this mean?
● Break your ideas up into paragraphs
● Look carefully at the rubric before writing.

Structure:
● Introduction - define key terms, provide a thesis statement
● Main:
○ Perspective A: point - explanation - evidence (including specific examples)
○ Perspective B: point - explanation - evidence (including specific examples)
● Evaluation - to what extent do your different perspectives counter each other? When
/ where / how may one be more valid than the other?
● Conclusion - answer the question!
Your essay
Title you have chosen: To what extent do our personal knowledge and/or
characteristics limit our acquisition of new knowledge?

Your response:
First, to answer this question we must properly comprehend what it means.
Merriam-Webster describes knowledge as; the fact or condition of knowing
something with familiarity gained through experience or association.
(Merriam-Webter 2024) The question asks us if what we have learned to know
through different mediums can prevent us from acquiring new information. Filters,
biases, and inflexibility play a big role in acquisition. Filters are mechanisms in our
brains that naturally select the information we receive, we have internal and external
filters. Biases are how we evaluate and interpret data. For example, if Mathieu hires a
man for a particular job because he believes that men are better workers than
women, he could be described as having a bias against women in the workplace. This
essay will examine how biases can disturb our learning, how inflexibility in new
knowledge affects our acquisition, and how filters reinforce biases.

Humans tend to avoid the evaluation and interpretation of new information. This is
because humans are set in their ways. When someone actively picks something over
the other because they think it’s better and have learned to know it’s better. Biases
are one of the reasons that humans don’t fully listen to new information given to
them. This is because when you have something decided in your brain, like, red is
better, you are too stubborn to believe that anything other than what you think is
possible. This can implicate how we acquire knowledge because it makes a person
unfairly interpret information to fit their narrative.
A real-world example could be someone who votes for Trump because he wants to
stop illegal immigration but turns an eye to some of his other values. This could be
catastrophic for the future of mankind because when people stop listening to each
other it results in extreme decisions, like war. But, is it affecting our knowledge
acquisition? Some would say no. This is because they believe biases are natural
shortcuts that help us process information faster. Most think they do. That is because
there have been many instances when humans have been faced with adversity and
have chosen to deny the possibility of the claims being true with facts and statistics
that are also biased.

Being inflexible to new information refers to the cognitive and emotional tendency to
reject or resist updates to one's beliefs, even in light of convincing evidence or facts.
After reading this article it became clear that fear of change drives the human race
because it taps into survival instincts. The brain favors what is predictable and
systematic because it feels safer. Uncertainty creates fear because humans evolved
from prey that needed to defend themselves against predators and unfamiliar
situations make it harder to assess the threats they could cause. This inflexibility
could stagnate your personal and professional growth. Without openness to learning,
people miss the opportunity to improve and innovate. For example, someone who
wants to be a performer thinks that belting is the only thing you need when it comes
to singing so they ignore their voice coach when told that they needed to study
classical singing as well. This makes them miss out on honing and bettering their
skills. This resistance limits resilience, growth, and social cohesion over time. It
could be detrimental to knowledge acquisition since it causes us to completely ignore
the new information given to us.

Filters limit knowledge acquisition by shaping what information we encounter and

pay attention to, often leading to "filter bubbles." These bubbles occur when personal
biases or social circles selectively expose us to views and information that reinforce
existing beliefs or biases while excluding other perspectives. This can lead to an
incomplete understanding of a topic and can affect decisions. It could also lead to a
narrow perspective. This would mean that while you are consuming the same
information over and over again you’re ideology reinforces itself and it because more
complicated to change your perspective. For example, Joey is watching Instagram
reels and all of his videos are about how abortions should be banned. The repetition
of this statement will reinforce his views. Even if the information could be biased,
and false his ideas are reinforced nonetheless.

In conclusion, biases, inflexibility, and filters each play a concrete role in limiting
knowledge. Biases affect how we judge information, often pushing us to favor data
that confirms our preconceptions, like sticking to political beliefs despite opposing
evidence. Inflexibility, driven by a fear of change or discomfort, leads us to reject new
perspectives that could broaden our understanding. Filters, like social media, restrict
us to familiar ideas, reinforcing our views. Together, these factors narrow our
worldview and critical thinking.

Sources:

Google Slides presentation:Mr.Friend,2024. 4-Filters and Biases. Google Slides.

Available at:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1MrUWVRlfYlDCTKWo_3r-_8ekrNitGW2
P9Wzau-ZL_G8/edit#slide=id.g302f98eb6df_0_10

Psychology Today article: Jantz, G.L., 2022. Why You Resist Change and What to Do
About It. Psychology Today. Available at:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/from-striving-to-thriving/202210/why-
you-resist-change-and-what-to-do-about-it

Merriam-Webster dictionary entry: Merriam-Webster, Year Unknown. Dictionary.

Available at: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dictionary
Mini - essay rubric - adapted from the ToK essay assessment instrument

Does the student provide a clear, coherent and critical exploration of the essay title?

A B C D
Does the discussion have a There is a sustained There is some focus There is a weak
There is a focus on
sustained focus on focus on knowledge on on knowledge focus on knowledge
on knowledge issues
knowledge issues related to issues related to the issues related to the issues related to the
related to the title
the title? title title title
Arguments are Arguments are
How clear and coherent are Arguments are The discussion is
clear and coherent mostly clear and
the arguments? offered largely descriptive
coherent
Arguments are Examples are
Arguments are Arguments are not
Are arguments supported by effectively provided, but they
supported by supported by
specific examples? supported by may not be specific
specific examples examples
specific examples or relevant
The
implications of
Are the implications of the Implications are Implications are not Implications are not
arguments are
arguments considered? identified identified identified
identified and
considered.
There is
There is clear There is some
Are different points of view awareness and Different points of
awareness and awareness of
(i.e. claims and some view are not
evaluation of different points
counterclaims) considered evaluation of effectively
different points of view.
and evaluated? different points considered
of view
of view.

N.B. If your essay is irrelevant, or does not reach a standard described by these levels, it will receive an E.