TK/PPD

For first assessment in 2017

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Candidate Personal Code Session:

Theory of knowledge presentation planning document

Indicate the duration of the presentation:

Indicate the number of participants in the presentation: 2

CANDIDATE SECTION
Candidate responses on this document must be typed and limited to a maximum of 500 words for the whole of the
Candidate section (not per field). It is not permitted to exceed the two sides of the candidate section.

Sense perception (SP) as a way of knowing (WOK) influencing what we know. Commented [TS1]: Vague
The role of sense perception in knowledge formation or The influence of sense perception on our pursuit of knowledge.

Describe your real-life situation:

Rothko-> When all of his work was displayed together for the first time, each individual had a different response to it.
We are unaware of why we respond this way, revealing how there are many other ways that our surroundings can
influence what we know without us being aware of it.
In Response to the presentation of his work, each viewer of the artwork had experienced different emotions. We are
uncertain as to why each individual reacted uniquely yet implying that there are numerous factors that can stimulate
our knowledge without our awareness.

State your central knowledge question (this must be expressed as a question):

To what extent (TWE) does SP determine what we know? Commented [AA2]: SP is an important WOK as it provides
us with evidence of what we know. This is later conformed
with reason which acts as a form of justification. However
Explain the connection between your real-life situation and your knowledge question:
reason is not required in the subjective field of the arts.
Hence SP stimulates emotion in response to art.
SP-> Emotional/innate response-> reason- always used later for justification- not required in the arts due to subjective
nature, but is in other areas of knowledge (AOK).
No reasonable explanation/justification
No control over emotion- emotion controls interpretation- no control over interpretation/knowledge
Unable to comprehend how every piece of sensory information (SI) can slightly alter perception/knowledge.
Each individual interprets/perceives incoming knowledge uniquely causing SP to be hindered.
Rothkos art -designed to be universal, however the meaning of colour can vary between cultures-> interpretations of
knowledge change depending on prior knowledge (PK)

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Outline how you intend to develop your TOK presentation in the context of your real-life situation. Include analysis
of your main knowledge question and related knowledge questions as well as arguments and perspectives.
Responses can be presented in continuous prose or as a list of points:

TWE does SP determine emotion? Or TWE does SP hinder emotional responses

- SP->different interpretations->different responses, some may trigger an emotional response.
- Affected by different perspectives, culture, genetics, environment.
- Heightened emotion+ intuition= doubt/ decreased certainty. However, add reason=greater certainty.
- Same SP stimuli- different context= different response
- SI->only in brain for seconds, not always conscious, counts as PK. This is information influences other
knowledge gained- can alter ones perception.
TWE is SP reliable?
- The evidence of SP is not always reliable as it is influenced by individual interpretation and PK.
- No direct access to the surrounding world, everything is filtered before it reaches the brain-> reliability of PK?
- Difficult to justify-> very personal, another individual will never experience something the same way-> validity of
SP?
- SP is not used-> reliability/objectivity
- Evidence 1= evidence 2 ->reliability, which is true
- SP not reliable, but it is best evidence we have t.
- The human brain has not developed to see how the world is, it has developed to see it the way it was useful to
see in the past.
- Our brain has a tendency to manipulate reality and often depends on prior knowledge/past experiences.
- Uncertainty is useful when building knowledge, as there is the potential for understanding.
- Uncertainty is useful as it triggers the development of existing knowledge hence aids in quest for more.
TWE does SP override reason?
- Reason or SP->when we see something that doesnt make much sense, but we still see it.
- Reason causes us to go beyond what we identify using SP, it stimulates questioning and justification of the
world around us.
- Within PK it is difficult to distinguish between truth and a misconception.
- Sense perception+ fear= irrationality

Show the significance of your conclusions with particular reference to your real-life situation and indicate how those
conclusions might be relevant to other real-life situations:

- Fear =heightened emotional response using intuition, no reason.

- No reason= inaccurate processing of information, affecting what we know.
- Overcoming a fear= change of perspective
- Sense perception (eg.colour theory) influences perception of world and emotions (eg. images with different
lighting). Darker-> from a horror film, lighter-> happier tone.
- SI =knowledge when in brain- even though were not aware, when it leaves= no longer knowledge
- Beau Lotto-> Reliability of PK and SP
- Virtual exchange particles-> visual explanation-not always required for understanding.

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- Eyewitness testimony-> reliability of accounts, difficult determining what the truth is.
- Celebrity monsters-> faces appear warped, reason suggests they shouldnt be. Your reason is not able to
overcome SP- still see warped faces.
- Fear-spider in car->SP initiates fight/flight mode(intuition), unable to control actions.
How each area defines what is true is paramount for understanding how knowledge claims are made in each field.
The role played by SP may shape what we believe to be true. We trust what we come to know by implying that SP
contribute to our understanding of the world. This, leads to either greater or lesser certainty with regards to claims
made.

TEACHER SECTION

Enter your mark (0-10) for this presentation:

Provide brief comments to support your assessment of the presentation. These should include remarks on the
extent to which the knowledge question was well formulated and connected to the real-life situation, and on the
effectiveness of the arguments and TOK analysis.

International Baccalaureate Organization 2016