IB Theory of Knowledge - an ongoing list of interesting finds

The Guardian reports on knowledge at risk as language disappears.   "Knowledge of medicinal plants is at risk of disappearing as human languages become extinct, a new study has warned. Indigenous languages contain vast amounts of knowledge about ecosystem services provided by the natural world around them. However, more than  30% of the 7,400 languages on the planet are expected to disappear  by the end of the century, according to the UN." Amazonian herbal remedies on sale at Ver-o-Peso market in Belem, Brazil.  Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty

"Tank Man" by Jeff Widener, 1989. On the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests (1989), authorities in China continue to go to great lengths to censor knowledge of what happened that day, where "hundreds, possibly thousands, had been shot dead."  To test the extent of the censorship, here is a video of a BBC reporter walking the streets of Beijing to find out how many people recognize the most iconic image of the protests, that of "Tank Man" - a lone man standing in front of a line of tanks a day after the massacre at Tiananmen Square.  In a testament to the strength of censorship in China, most of those interviewed claimed not to recognize the image, even if they were old enough to remember the tragic outcome of the protests.

For those who have enjoyed some of the discussion of art as representational of history and of the attempt to convey history when it is out of living memory, here is a focused piece that explores exactly that - how we can continue to "experience" history via the arts, even when we cannot have experienced it ourselves. This would link quite well to the controversial "Ada.Stories" narrative being released on Instagram - a Holocaust narrative that tells the events to a social media generation.

How do you keep a story "alive" when those who experienced it have passed?  In a decision that has received quite a bit of praise, but also quite a lot of criticism, an Israeli tech executive and his daughter have created an Instagram account entitled "Eva Stories" to coincide with the start of Israel’s annual Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day. "In 70 short episodes, a British actress playing Eva takes followers along on her Holocaust journey: a happy bourgeois prewar existence interrupted by the Nazi invasion of her hometown in what was then Hungary; her family’s forced move into the cramped chaos of the ghetto; and the packed train that ultimately transports her to Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp from which she never returns." (Kershner)  A relevant and refreshing attempt to educate today's youth on the trauma and tragedy, or a "trivializing and cheapening the Holocaust" ? Resources : Associated Press. " Hol...

Alex Rosenberg, a philosopher of science and a writer of historical fiction, "does not deny that stories can be wonderful as art and effective at eliciting emotions that then push action... but stories also lull us into a false sense of knowledge and fundamentally limit our understanding of the world." In this interview transcript , see how Rosenberg explains the impact of stories from a neuroscience perspective and encourages us to seek a balance between an engaging historical narrative and more factual / accurate retelling of events.

For those interested in the "anti-vaxxer" debate, here is an article about parents in Ontario who have received judicial support to refuse immunization , even citing an anti-vaccination 'expert.' And in an ironic twist, the subheading reads:  "While the case was being heard, both children contracted whooping cough, one of the diseases covered by standard childhood vaccinations."  The article also contains a comprehensive infographic illustrating vaccination trends in Canada as well as comparative immunization rates against other countries. 

Languages around the world are dying, and dying fast .  "The grimmest predictions have 90 percent of the world's languages dying out by the end of this century. Although this might not seem important in the day-to-day life of an English speaker with no personal ties to the culture in which they’re spoken, language loss matters." National Geographic's page entitled " Enduring Voices " is a great resource to learn more about endangered languages.

Economist Keith Chen realized that there are innate differences in how he speaks in Chinese and in English.  He began to ask questions like "Is there a connection between language and how we think and behave? In particular, he wanted to know: does our language affect our economic decisions?" So he designed a study to look at how language might affect individual’s ability to save for the future. According to his results, it does — big time. Have a look at this blog post that explores Chen's ideas and also provides several examples of what research shows about the link between language and both psychology and behavior.

Why we have to forget to remember "When we forget something, it often feels like a failure. But according to psychologist Oliver Hardt, if we lost the ability to forget, we might also lose the ability to remember."

Have a look through some of the following pieces to explore why the discovery of a previously unknown sketchbook by the famous artist has led to widespread controversy.  Addressing issues of consistency and authenticity, but also tackling the ever-difficult-to-explain role of intuition, the controversy illustrates the fierce battles that can ensue when one's personal knowledge of art, meaning or style is called into question.  Resources : Cain, Abigail.  " 'Unprecedented' Van Gogh Sketchbook Controversy, Explained. "  Editorial. Artsy.com.   November 16, 2016. " Found Sketchbook With Drawings Is Not By Van Gogh, According To Van Gogh Museum ."   The Van Gogh Museum.  Press Release.  November 15, 2016. Siegal, Nina.  " Sketchbook Attributed to van Gogh Pits Scholars Against a Museum ."  New York Times: Art & Design.  November 15, 2016.  " Van Gogh: Dispute over sketches book ."  BBC News: Ent...

Obviously still a highly contested concept, the idea that our genetics do not support common perceptions of race or racial divides is one that can be uncomfortable on various levels.  Geneticist and author Adam Rutherford tackles the science behind "race" in his 2015 article " Why racism is not backed by science " - touching also on issues of evolution of language and controversial theories on race.  He acknowledges in another piece, " Why scientific truth may hurt ," that his ideas on the biological non-existence of “race” prompted anger and online abuse from readers, however continued to focus on the idea that: Modern genetics has unearthed a treasure trove of information about humans that was previously veiled or indecipherable, one of which is that some sets of genetic signatures broadly correlate with large land masses, especially ones bound by oceans. But these are neither exclusive nor essential associations with the way we use the term “ra...

We should all know that memory can be unreliable - influenced by our own perspectives, selection, interpretation and emotions, it can be difficult to be "certain" of our powers of recollection.  But "false memory"? Delve briefly into this concept via the links below to explore the ways in which memory can not only be problematic , but also wrong.  Resources : Bryce, Emma. " False memories and false confessions: the psychology of imagined crimes ." WIRED.  July 22, 2017.  " False memory syndrome ." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. July 18, 2013. " Elizabeth Loftus and Eye Witness Testimony ."  BBC Sounds. Interview. Web. April 17, 2011. Fraser, Scott.  " Why eyewitnesses get it wrong ."  TEDxUSC. TED. May 2012. Hogenboom, Melissa.  " Why does the human brain create false memories? "  BBC Science & Environment.  September 29, 2013. Loftus, Elizabeth. " How reliable is your ...

Crossinng the TOK / Lang & Lit boundary - a  different perspective on "beauty" and how our own preferences/standards not only change, but might be shifted for us  as the brain processes new information and patterns. 

In this National Geographic Photo Essay, "Cutting-Edge Science Meets Centuries-Old Tradition," have a look at how the two worlds of Science and Indigenous Knowledge overlap in trying to document the historical and current knowledge of Mo'orea.

No one told James Fallon he was a psychopath.  Or maybe they had. When he was young, he'd heard again and again from people in positions of authority – a priest, a professor, a friend's father – that there was something off about him. Something dark that they couldn't quite name. But Fallon brushed it off each time. Many years later, as a professor of psychiatry at the medical school of the University of California, Irvine, Fallon discovered his psychopathic mind for himself.  James Fallon, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine, describes himself as a ‘pro-social’ psychopath. (Daniel Anderson) A witty and light look at one man's path to self-discovery and self-control, one that also delves into the nature versus nurture debate , looking at whether   we are a product of our environments. Are we subject to imbalance due to our biological makeup?  Where do the lines between the natural sciences and the human sciences blur...

"To speak our language is to preserve who we are. It is the most profound expression of our Rapa Nui and Polynesian spirit.”  - Rapa Nui linguist Viki Haoa Cardinali Easter Island remains a remote island quite isolated from the world around it and as it was formed less than a million years ago, it remains one of the youngest inhabited areas of the world.  "Over centuries, Polynesian explorers braved the Pacific Ocean in search of new worlds. By 1200 AD, settlers had reached Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui, bringing crops, customs and language with them.... Clues to the complex society that emerged on Rapa Nui can be found everywhere; the island’s volcanic landscape boasts one of the richest collections of rock art in Polynesia. But barely a trace remains of what is Rapa Nui’s most tantalising cultural legacy: a mysterious form of writing called Rongorongo." Efforts to decode the language have been met with frustration and failure.  Since the ...

Here are a few pieces that look directly at  patterns in stories or storytelling . Consider some of your own storybook heroes/heroines - how well do their story lines fit  the mold ? Which  perspectives  of the world are  offered  and which are  missing ?  How do you feel about your favourite story fitting into what is essentially a skeleton  pattern of stories ? Are they each still  unique ? Are they  original ? If the perspectives are correct, and all stories carry the same patterns, what does that suggest about the ways in which we use stories to understand the world around us?  What do these specific patterns suggest about our needs as knowers?  What is it about these patterns that make so much sense to us that we keep telling them over and over again?  BBC Culture -  The 100 stories that shaped the world BBC Culture -  Every story in the world has one of these six basic plots TEDEd -...

Politically correct? Or just plain ridiculous? "'Brainstorming', the buzzword used by executives to generate ideas among their staff, has been deemed politically incorrect by civil servants because it is thought to be offensive to people with brain disorders." " Now brainstorms are off the agenda " (McDonald, Henry.   The Guardian , June 26, 2005).

"Every day millions of people ask Google life’s most difficult questions...." An in-depth look at what makes the Mona Lisa so fascinating and so famous .   The piece tackles some of the better-known justifications, such as DaVinci's (apparent) use of "golden ratio," and the focus on his style and technique.  It also, though, poses an interpretation on the "smile" justification which is a different take on other theories I've read in the past.  Definitely an interesting perspective for those art lovers out there. Or for those who continue to ask what or who determines what is "good art." People look at the Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo Da Vinci at its new home in the Louvre museum, in Paris. Photograph: Lydie/EPA

And do we have a right, so many decades later, to reinterpret or redefine an iconic work of literature?  Can we accept that the novel is a "simple folk tale," as claimed by L. Frank Baum, the author?  Must we always attempt to interpret works of art or reason their "deeper meanings"?   Can a work of art simply stand as a piece of knowledge itself outside of our responses to it?  How valid is our personal knowledge or interpretation of a piece of art? Does it matter in the end what the artist may have "intended"? To what extent can we actually know what was "intended" by an artist without their direct input? An intriguing video that explores these questions and more.