• Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

Neither Art nor Science can give us a complete knowledge of the world. Discuss.

Extracts from this document...


Neither Art nor Science can give us a complete knowledge of the world. Discuss. The most formal and probably also most correct (in TOK sense) way to define knowledge is something like "something to regard as true beyond doubt", or in other words something which is true. Personally, I believe that since the definition of knowledge says that what you know has to be true, it is incorrect to say that you know something. Who are we to claim what's true and what's not, when even the greatest of scientist and thinkers have claimed to know something which some hundred years later has been proved false? To simplify it, as Manuel in Fawlty Towers would have said; "I know nothing". ...read more.


In other words, although I don't deny the existence of absolute truth(s) , I do claim that it is not possible for us to with 100% certainty identify these possible truths, and hence my answer to the question is: no, we cannot know anything. It follows that if it is not possible to know anything, then knowing is impossible, and thus nothing, including art and science, can give us a complete knowledge of the world. This conclusion, in a nutshell, answers the question1, but I need about 400 words extra to fulfill the requirements of this essay-work. These words will be used to discuss the reliability of my conclusion, and the boundaries limiting me when writing. ...read more.


The second boundary is the capacity of my mind. The limits of my cognitivity makes it fairly "wrong" to make conclusions about something as "big" as knowledge and absolute truth. I believe that what I perceive is information, and the conclusions I make based on what I perceive is nothing but new information, and, as said by Albert Einstein, "Information is not knowledge". With this said, I can change my conclusion from "nothing can give a complete knowledge of the world", to a very simple: I don't know. 1 As it is impossible to know anything, then I don't know what I just concluded, but that is what I believe is the best and most correct answer to the questions raised in my discussion. Skagerak International School IB2 2003/2004 Subject: Theory Of Knowledge Teacher: Mr. Noakes Student: Robin Dominik Havre ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text


Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge essays

  1. &amp;quot;The theory of art as representation say we value art because it faithfully informs ...

    they fight to rise up and conquer that which is trying to destroy their 'free world'. The human experience which Saving Private Ryan implores us to see is the sad knowledge that some men are evil, that some people are murderous and greedy for power; the fact that mankind is


    Room 108 turned out to be much different than the previous two rooms. It was a room filled with various pieces of art by the famous Group of Seven. The main message of the room was showing the beauty of Canadian nature.

  1. There are no absolute distinctions between what is true and false. Discuss.

    This is the type of truth which we usually handle daily in all aspects of our lives highly subjective to thought and perspective. This sort of truth is praised by Alfred Whitehead who said, 'There are no whole truths, all truths are half truths....It is trying to treat them as truths that play the devil'.

  2. Theory of Knowledge Essay on Choices in the World ...

    We choose what features to draw on our map. Homo Sapiens Sapiens, however, is a creature wrought by merciless Nature to fulfil a task, and that task alone: to survive in the Savannah. That the skills evolved for outwitting various predators and prey are any use for anything but hunting/gathering


    ?The evolution of the society when viewed from an unbiased, detached angle of perception will appear no more than an institutionalized journey of man towards progressive self-imposed slavery. For example, Blake in his Poem London says, In every voice, in every ban, The mind-forg'd manacles I hear.


    Natural scenery can be considered art simply because it is beautiful or appealing. Depending on how one looks at things, anything can therefore be classified as ?art? to them. As long as it inspires an emotion of more than ordinary significance, ?it? can be classified as art.

  1. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Discuss.

    The distinction between hearsay and factual information in a world where word of mouth communication is the only communication would be impossible to make. Leading to global uncertainty. But professional knowledge can also be considered more important than imagination. Knowledge that has been acquired through years and years of experience by several generations of work.

  2. There are no absolute distinctions between what is true and what is false. Discuss

    This AOK may have the most truth or the most false since we have assumptions in natural sciences. In physics there is an assumption that the amount energy given out is equal to the amount of energy taken. This assumption is actually true in everything we know that is why we still believe this theory.

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work