Senses are the physiological methods of perception. There are times when senses do not give us the truth and others where they are able to give us the truth.
There are times when our senses make us feel that there is a presence behind us but there is actually no presence. This is because sometimes our senses are mistaken and this effect can be increased if the person is on some kind of drug or is drunk. When someone is drunk the senses do not work properly and so a drunken person cannot usually judge the distance between two objects. There are times when our senses misguide us into thinking that a liquid is cold when it is actually hot. There are some cases when our senses make us feel that someone is calling us when there is actually no one behind us. These are the times when our senses are not able to give us the truth.
Friday, March 28, 2008
ToK essay plan
“truth is what the community ultimately settles down.” (Charles Peirce, US)
----In my opinion, truth is NOT what the community ultimately settles down to.
History provides enough evidence to prove my stand.
Many years before the Age of Thinking and the Renaissance, the entire Western world believed that the world was flat. The events that followed in the years to come proved that the world is in fact spherical.
Copernicus… before his time, everyone believed that the Earth was the centre of the universe… this was again proved wrong by Copernicus..
There are countless other examples of generally accepted facts being proved false.
The ultimate truth… AN IMPOSSIBLE GOAL?????
In many cases, it is not possible to find out the actual truth.. for eg, the actual structure of the atom can never be found out… all we can do is make theories that correspond to other established, observable facts… such theories are assumed to be true as they are able to explain the various behaviors of atoms and correspond with other explanations of matters.
An example of this the extremely contentious issue about the existence of God. Although many people have claimed that they have seen God, there is no way we can provide empirical evidence about God’s existence. Some people say that God exists because it is impossible to prove that He does not exist. This is an argument ad-ignorantium.
Herd mentality
To a great extent, what the community collectively believes in is regarded as the truth. No human can exist in isolation, and we generally have the tendency to accept what is generally accepted. We are always influenced by the thoughts of others, especially if a large number of people support the argument. This ‘herd mentality’ often prevents the actual truth from being discovered.
Religion affects millions of people worldwide.. blind beliefs are characteristic of many religions… many religious beliefs are totally devoid of reason…. All the myths are not true.. in the Mahabharata for example, there are stories of people flying during fights etc…
----In my opinion, truth is NOT what the community ultimately settles down to.
History provides enough evidence to prove my stand.
Many years before the Age of Thinking and the Renaissance, the entire Western world believed that the world was flat. The events that followed in the years to come proved that the world is in fact spherical.
Copernicus… before his time, everyone believed that the Earth was the centre of the universe… this was again proved wrong by Copernicus..
There are countless other examples of generally accepted facts being proved false.
The ultimate truth… AN IMPOSSIBLE GOAL?????
In many cases, it is not possible to find out the actual truth.. for eg, the actual structure of the atom can never be found out… all we can do is make theories that correspond to other established, observable facts… such theories are assumed to be true as they are able to explain the various behaviors of atoms and correspond with other explanations of matters.
An example of this the extremely contentious issue about the existence of God. Although many people have claimed that they have seen God, there is no way we can provide empirical evidence about God’s existence. Some people say that God exists because it is impossible to prove that He does not exist. This is an argument ad-ignorantium.
Herd mentality
To a great extent, what the community collectively believes in is regarded as the truth. No human can exist in isolation, and we generally have the tendency to accept what is generally accepted. We are always influenced by the thoughts of others, especially if a large number of people support the argument. This ‘herd mentality’ often prevents the actual truth from being discovered.
Religion affects millions of people worldwide.. blind beliefs are characteristic of many religions… many religious beliefs are totally devoid of reason…. All the myths are not true.. in the Mahabharata for example, there are stories of people flying during fights etc…
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
mothman prophecies
ToK analysis of Mothman Prophecies
The Mothman prophecies is an example of how various things come together to formulate one’s beliefs. In the story, a tall, mysterious man arrives at the doorstep of a couple in Virginia. It was a dark stormy night, and the mysterious guest’s car had broken down on the way. He wanted to make a telephone call and knocked on the nearest doorstep.
The couple was quite taken aback when they first saw the mysterious stranger. Since they had never come across a tall, bearded man on a stormy night before, they perceived him to be someone dangerous. The image of the man was frightening, and thus it aroused emotions of fear in the couple.
The prevailing religious beliefs supported the existence of the devil. The image of the stranger immediately reminded them of the devil. The couple then told their experience to their friends. They too reasoned that the image of the stranger was coherent to the concept of an evil devil. Also, an accident took place in the days that followed. This further convinced the couple and their friends that it was in fact the devil who had given them a surprise visit and done an evil deed in the form of an accident. In this case, the coherence truth test was utilized.
This is a fitting example of how our perception is strongly influenced by our expectations and existing beliefs.
The Mothman prophecies is an example of how various things come together to formulate one’s beliefs. In the story, a tall, mysterious man arrives at the doorstep of a couple in Virginia. It was a dark stormy night, and the mysterious guest’s car had broken down on the way. He wanted to make a telephone call and knocked on the nearest doorstep.
The couple was quite taken aback when they first saw the mysterious stranger. Since they had never come across a tall, bearded man on a stormy night before, they perceived him to be someone dangerous. The image of the man was frightening, and thus it aroused emotions of fear in the couple.
The prevailing religious beliefs supported the existence of the devil. The image of the stranger immediately reminded them of the devil. The couple then told their experience to their friends. They too reasoned that the image of the stranger was coherent to the concept of an evil devil. Also, an accident took place in the days that followed. This further convinced the couple and their friends that it was in fact the devil who had given them a surprise visit and done an evil deed in the form of an accident. In this case, the coherence truth test was utilized.
This is a fitting example of how our perception is strongly influenced by our expectations and existing beliefs.
“Truth is that which the community ultimately settles down”
Introduction
Define Truth – What is truth in your terms?
According to you how does it affect the community? Give Examples Related to someone in a political party and how that person proves true points in a false manner.
Does the community actually settle down once it is told the truth?
Body
Explain how truth depends on the belief of the person that is what is true and what is false leaving the scientific and mathematical proofs.
Something that is true for someone can be false for the other person.
Is it good to lie to keep the community quiet and hide the original facts from them?
Can the community be easily fooled?
Will a lie make a person feel guilty?
Conclusion
Truth is something what on feels is right and believes in it and it does not make one feel guilty of what one has done.
It is also something that is justified and is a proven fact, which the others also believe in.
In the end it can be said truth is not and idea nor is it a feeling it is just what is right
Define Truth – What is truth in your terms?
According to you how does it affect the community? Give Examples Related to someone in a political party and how that person proves true points in a false manner.
Does the community actually settle down once it is told the truth?
Body
Explain how truth depends on the belief of the person that is what is true and what is false leaving the scientific and mathematical proofs.
Something that is true for someone can be false for the other person.
Is it good to lie to keep the community quiet and hide the original facts from them?
Can the community be easily fooled?
Will a lie make a person feel guilty?
Conclusion
Truth is something what on feels is right and believes in it and it does not make one feel guilty of what one has done.
It is also something that is justified and is a proven fact, which the others also believe in.
In the end it can be said truth is not and idea nor is it a feeling it is just what is right
TOK - Essay 1
"Truth is that to which the community ultimately settles down" (Charles Peirce). Analyse and evaluate this claim.
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