TOK Entry - TOK Presentation

Theory of Knowledge and GMOs

We focused on a personal situation for the real life situation that led us to our topic. Marsha’s grandfather farms in corn fields and he farms genetically modified corn after many failures due to pests and herbicides. GM maize has been used in many countries but some have raised controversy on the harmful impacts on insects and plants and other health issues in human.

Our knowledge question explores the theory of knowledge issues through the topic of GM foods and analyzes different approaches to the knowledge question and how it affects our understanding. So the knowledge question we derived from our real life situation was “What sources of knowledge can we trust in order to decide how to view GMOs?”

There are many benefits that come with GMOs. Many of them have had DNA resistant to bacteria and to herbicides inserted, causing them to become resistant to diseases and to herbicides, which will increase crop yield in the long run. However, not all the aspects of GMOs are so positive. Many environmentalists are worried that if all organisms are changed so that they display a particular gene, it will result in a decrease in biodiversity.

Referring back to our central knowledge question, the crucial idea to take away from this was that it is fundamental to have a clear, well-rounded knowledge base before people make a judgment for themselves. In the case of GMOs, because of the large lack of awareness on the topic, it is all the more important to raise awareness to have both the producers of the products as well as the consumers make informed decisions.  

TOK Presentation Reflection 1

Reflection on TOK Presentation of Floruen Tu and Callum McEachen

Knowledge Question: To what extent is scientific knowledge reliable?

Their presentation was brief and used limited words which allowed them to have more explanations in their speech. The real life situation chosen was the illuminati conspiracy in Atlanta. During the snowstorms in the USA, some people performed an experiment on the snow and found that if you held a lighter to it, it did not melt and black soot marks appeared on the snow. They then claimed that this was because there were chemicals and plastic in the snow that were designed to control our minds. These theories were then debunked by others, who explained that the melted water was being absorbed by the sponge-like structure of the snow, as well as sublimation.

The area of knowledge that was studied was natural science and they used reasoning and faith to explore their knowledge issue. They concluded that these areas and ways of knowledge are useful to determine the extent of the reliability of scientific knowledge. Something special about this TOK presentation was that they explored 2 other real life situations that are related to the knowledge issue that was brought up.

Floruen and Callum's presentation can be improved if it incorporated more TOK vocabulary and explored more areas of knowledge related to the real life situation. I believe the area of human science and language are possible Theory of Knowledge fields that could be incorporated for a more detailed presentation. 

IB Class Entry - Therapeutic Cloning

There are many issues surrounding therapeutic cloning in humans which are important to consider. The idea of cloning often provokes strong negative reactions from people but some information comes from unreliable sources such as science fiction and horror films. When coming to ethical decisions about the right and wrong of therapeutic cloning, it is significant to be well informed.

First it is important to note the difference between the two distinct forms of cloning. Reproductive cloning is making copies of entire organisms and therapeutic cloning is making copies of embryonic stem cells only. In the field of natural science, embryos are used for reproduction only but many people believe that using them for experiments is not right. The use of embryonic stem cells have led to major accomplishments in natural science such as growing skin to repair a burn, growing new heart muscle to repair an ailing heart, and growing new kidney tissue to rebuild a failing kidney. Scientists believe that embryonic stem cells can be used to save lives and reduce pain for patients and that cells are taken at a stage when embryos have no nerve cells so therapeutic cloning should be acceptable.

However, some argue that every human embryo is a potential life and should be given the chance of development. It is also important to know that there is a risk of embryonic cells developing into tumor cells which will lead to death instead of saving lives. In addition, more embryos are produced than needed so a lot of them are destroyed. Is it acceptable to kill many potential human beings? Does the benefits outweigh the ethical implications?

IB Class Entry - Case of Phineas Cage

The case study of Phineas Gage influenced 19th-century discussion about the brain, particularly debate on cerebral localization. It was the first case that suggested damage to specific regions of the brain might affect personality and behavior. Through this psychology study, it is important to consider the ethical issues and limitations in terms of theory of knowledge.

Phineas Gage was a railroad construction foreman and while he was blasting a rock, a thirteen-pound iron rod was shot through his brain. Gage survived the accident and within 2 months he could function properly. However, his once pleasant personality had been replaced by less desirable qualities such as lying, excessive use of abusive language and non-dependability.

Upon examination, it was found that the change in personality was a result of severe damage to the frontal lobes of the brain. There was skepticism at the time about whether the brain could govern human behavior. The case of Phineas Gage was the first to be publicized that demonstrated a biological basis for behavior. It appears that the frontal lobes necessary for language and motor function were unaffected whilst the underside of the frontal lobes were heavily damaged, causing the anti-social behavior. It is agreed that the brain exhibits localization of function so damage to a specific part of the brain results in a drastic loss in its corresponding function.

Some ethic points to consider is that all of Phineas Gage’s accident and his behavior afterwards were published, not protecting him and his identity. In addition, the localization of function has been proved to be outdated thus this case study can not be a valid explanation for all situations related to the biological factors and behaviors of the brain. 

Personal Entry - Sewol Incident

After receiving the shocking news of this tragedy, the Sewol Ferry Disaster, I decided to explore the implications of the captain’s actions and the actions of people in times of trouble. It is important to consider all aspects of the incident, especially through the areas of knowledge in TOK. There are many TOK questions that could be raised and debated on based on this event.

The captain and his crew made decisions that cost hundreds of lives and was done for their own survival. They are criticized in the country of Korea for being selfish and demand for their punishment. The Sewol Incident is very upsetting and disastrous to many people because most of the victims were high school students who had a wide future in front of them. The deaths of so many students made me think about how the captain of Sewol and his crew should be brought to justice. What are the standards for their decisions and how does ethical implications influence justice?

First of all, they were irresponsible of their passengers and cared solely for their own lives. All captains have an expectation and responsibility to save their passengers even if it costs their own lives. This is why many captains that died to save more people are honored and praised highly. There shouldn’t have been any harm or deaths done to any people but this disaster caused hundreds of casualties. The ethical consideration behind this is that the captain should have been more considerate and aware of every individual lives on the ship. So many lives could have been saved if the captain had told the people to evacuate and was prepared for such events.

The captain and his crew’s belief in their lives being more valuable and important have caused hundreds of lives to be lost. If the captain had considered the ethical implications behind his belief then there would have been different consequences and reactions towards the Sewol Disaster.

IB Class Entry - Language and Thought Processes

Language and Theory of Knowledge 

I take both IBH Korean and IBH Literature and I find it very difficult to translate one language to another sometimes. One instance when I realized this was when my IB Korean class talked about the meanings of moral and ethics when I realized that the definitions tended to vary when processed in a different language. I decided to use this experience on language and though processes to write my TOK blog and came upon this article. 

Language can influence our knowledge and our culture. For instance, if we choose the word ‘good’ to describe something then our perspectives on the topic is only focused on the positive aspects rather than the differing perspectives. This influences our knowledge on that topic because we choose to focus on one specific area.

In addition, I used to consider language as a means of communication but through the article I learned that it "influences our culture and even our thought processes." Many people in our school are bilingual and I find that some aspects are understandable but some are implausible. I realized that my understanding tended to differ on which language I was using to think. 

When I translate a word into a different language I find that some are impossible to translate while keeping the same exact meaning. The translation doesn't have the same effect or meaning in English as in Korean or maybe vice versa. I realized that being bilingual actually helps us have deeper insight into our second language. 

I believe that language and knowledge are closely related yet it is difficult to determine which is more influential. The different language usage causes people to have varying cultures and perspectives because language is influential. But knowledge can also influence language because people with more education and knowledge may use more sophisticated words than others. I wondered "how does language and knowledge relate and be influential to each other?" 

http://anthro.palomar.edu/language/language_5.htm

Personal Entry - BBC: Spot the Fake Smile Test

BBC: Spot the Fake Smile Test 

This experiment was designed to test whether one can distinguish the difference between a fake smile and a real smile. It was based on the research by Professor Paul Ekman, a psychologist at the University of California.
I guessed 13 pictures correctly out of 20 and most of the pictures I got wrong were because I marked feigned expressions as real smiles. I personally thought that this test helped me how one's physical characteristics and expressions can both portray and hide emotions. People tend to feign expressions when they want to be polite or hide their emotions. From this test, I realized that it is difficult to notice when people are putting on a real smile or a fake smile. I related this to many other theories connected to emotions and wondered if feigning expressions affect ones' decisions as well. 
In addition, expressions can show one's personality because a bubbly person will have a bigger and more cheerful smile. Each unique smile emphasizes their individuality. Hiding one's smile hides both their personality and individuality.