Field Blog Entry #4 - Importance of Belief and Truth (Personal)

“Does it Matter if what we Believe is True?”

People learn new information from media, school, internet, friends, family, etc and we believe it to be true because we trust the sources. I think this question does not have a definite “yes or no” answer because sometimes it doesn’t matter if what we believe is the actual truth or not.

In some subjects such as science, we need to know that we believe to be true is significant in order to explain and discover information. For example, when someone is explaining how to dissect a frog, he/she needs to believe that the information being told is true in order to teach someone else. If people are unconfident about believing something to be true, then it will cause them to have flaws in their knowledge. Another example can be found in politics where it is important that what we believe in is true because it affects the society.

Religion is a different case from science. It is not of great importance whether what we believe is true or not because religion is a matter of faith. For example, people find it challenging to provide realistic and provable evidence of the existence of God but it is not important whether the existence of God is true or not. Religion is something people rely on to answer the questions that cannot be answered using scientific evidence. Even if the existence of God is false, some people will still believe it to be true.

In conclusion, whether it matters if what we believe in is true or not depends on the subject. If the cases are subjects that affect the society or other people it is quite important to know that the information being gained is true. In contrast, topics like religion are a matter of one’s faith. So it does not matter greatly whether what we believe in is true or not.

Field Blog Entry #3 - TOK and Psychology (IB Class)

Ethical Responsibilities and Knowledge Claims

I was able to relate my IBH Psychology course to my Theory of Knowledge class in several aspects. I recently learned about Plato’s Tripartite View of Knowledge in TOK class: justification, truth and belief. Truth is what actually corresponds to the world, belief is a matter of conviction of our knowledge, and justification requires coherence between both truth and belief. I realized that these three types of knowledge could be related to psychology.

There are many ethical issues raised in psychological research that raises the question of “Do knowledge claims in the human sciences imply ethical responsibilities?”

An example of an implication would be a complication of whether a psychological theory is true, believed or justified. A theory could be considered true based on evidence but some people might believe it to be true or justify themselves to make it true. 

Another issue could be raised in a case study involving only one individual because it risks the loss of anonymity and might distress the participant. It is not ethical or moral to make the participant become frustrated or uncomfortable because of the research.

Some research studies raise ethical implications so it is important for us to set several important standards that must be observed in order to protect study participants when conducting a psychology research.

Our knowledge claims might cause ethical implications which requires us to take responsibilities for those issues. The question “Do knowledge claims in the human sciences imply ethical responsibilities?” is very significant to consider in both psychology and TOK. 

Field Blog Entry #2 - Know Thyself Assignment (TOK)

     1. In a few words or phrases, describe yourself. Is this easy? difficult? Why?

I would describe myself as shy, quiet and caring. I found it quite difficult to describe myself in a few words or phrases because everyone has different views and perspectives on oneself. People judge and describe a person differently and it is complicated to sum all these detailed descriptions into a few words or phrases. 

     2. After we have discussed this, get online to do the following personality tests:

              a.  www.humanmetrics.com

                   Scroll down to Jung Typology Test and click “Take Test”

b.  www.kisa.ca/personality/

     3. After you’ve taken both tests, consider the implications and problems. Looking at one’s own personality is a complicated undertaking—one that involves ways of knowing, beliefs, actions, behaviors, and feelings.  Jot down any interesting or troubling discoveries.  

I think I was accurately described because I always thought of myself as timid and both test results showed that I had a preference for an introverted personality. But I also realized that I wasn't sure how to explain myself in terms of actions or beliefs because I don't know myself enough to describe if I act based on intuition. Some of the results of the test were the same to the other test results but others came out differently. This troubled me slightly because I couldn't decide which test described me more accurately. 

     4. Soon you’ll be writing your “Autobiography of the Knower” Think Piece.  Did the results from these tests confirm what you already knew? Do you disagree with any of the results?  Consider this experience as you construct your Think Piece.

Both tests confirmed that I was more of an introverted person than an extroverted one because I already knew that I had a timid personality. Also, I agreed that I do tend to act more according to my feelings and my intuitions but I was quite surprised to find a high score on feelings. I do believe that it isn't easy to describe a person in a few words but I was able to agree with most of the test results which helped me to understand myself better.