Theory of Knowledge

I'm "crazy" about how my brain "cooks" these images.

2010-03-03T15:21:00.000-08:00

An illusion that "exploits our brain’s strategy for making sense of the visual world: uniting what it actually sees — known as bottom-up processing — with what it expects to see based on prior experience — known as top-down processing."

Logical Fallacies

2010-03-03T15:16:00.000-08:00

I have spent hours here.

I am still lost.

Mr. P's homework is hard!

Emotion as a Way of Knowing

2010-02-20T15:47:00.000-08:00

Visuals delineating my evolving emotional connection with crows.

Age 15-17:

Shoes for crows

Age 34:

Palliative Care: time measured by crows

Age 40-45

Breathing: more time and crows

Age 43-present

Art: home, protection and love.

Charlottetown's Crows

2010-02-20T07:20:00.000-08:00

Here's a local issue ripe for analysis in terms of Knowledge Issues. This week, let's look at this topic. Consider the links below. Look for your own and bring them to class. Try to remain open-minded. How would you prepare a presentation on this topic? Can you rely on my guidance and the suggestions below given my emotional attachment to the subject? (More about that on Monday.)

Mitch Tweel on Crow plague in uptown Charlottetown.

The Guardian reports residents terrified.

CBC article indicating the Victoria Park crow situation may have N.S. roots.

Caws and Effect Penn State wildlife scientists study urban-roosting crows.

A beautiful photo of Charlottetown Crows from Stephen DesRoches' photo blog. And a second entitled Crow Population

Russell, Charlottetown's talking crow.

"While rock doves (pigeons), house sparrows, and crows are not considered protected birds on P.E.I. (unlike migratory birds, birds of prey, and game birds), causing unnecessary pain and suffering is against the law regardless of the species of bird involved." Peter Foley, DVM in a letter to the editor, Charlottetown Guardian. Read more in P.E.I.'s Fish and Game Protection Act.

International guiding principles for biomedical research involving animals which states, "Investigators and other personnel should never fail to treat animals as sentient, and should regard their proper care and use and the avoidance or minimization of discomfort, distress, or pain as ethical imperatives."

A Murder of Crows from CBC's The Nature of Things.

Joshua Klein's Ted Talk on the intelligence of crows:

My teacher can't spell: Do not discard? Do not Disregard?

2010-02-17T06:34:00.000-08:00

I am working on my TOK journal today and in the process of doing some on-line research, came across this blog post which may be of interest.

When you finished reading Lagematt on Perception (pages 85-110), why not consider this:

Is all creative work derivative?

We will go ahead with our screenings tomorrow and I hope to have something to share with you regarding expectations for your TOK journal.

And if you enjoyed our conversation last week about truth and cliches, you might also enjoy this on-line Cliche Finder

Man is the Measure - Some visuals to accompany your reading of Chapter 4

2010-02-15T08:59:00.000-08:00

duck or rabbit?

Demoiselle d'Avignon Picasso

Horse Race Gericault

"dragon with an armored body" Durer

Quick Demonstration of Style and Perception Psychology from krapp's last blog

"Show and Tell" I keep selecting sleep wear that I later discover has links to my childhood.

2010-02-04T13:32:00.000-08:00

Knowledge Issues:

Can we hold others accountable for providing what we see clearly as bogus explanations for their choices? If we live in glass houses - or burning ones - should we really be throwing stones?

What is Your Fashion O/S?

2008-08-12T10:37:00.001-07:00

Photos by Laura O'Brien

I have always admired my friend Laura's fashion sense. Her look is whimsical, eclectic, quirky and always chic. Recently she confessed that her clothes selection is almost always based on nostalgia. In all her clothes purchases, there is a wistful desire to return to her childhood.

On the evening of our discussion she was sporting an 80's dress with drawsting waist and cuffs. Black with thin stripes in primary colours, she could not resist the purchase because of its visual reference to the LightBrite© she loved as a child.

I had been wondering about the knowledge issues implicit in fashion purchases prior to our conversation.

When I attack a thrift store bin, I clear a three foot space at the far right end and pull items one by one from the pile I have created. If bins are too full to accommodate my method, I curse the over-zealous bin stockers and move on.

As a general rule, other shoppers tend to give me sole custody of the bin during the procedure. I do, however, have occasional visitors.

What I note about these shoppers is that they seem guided by a more intuitive approach and inspect only garments of interest to them. I do an initial screen based largely on colour and many items are simply "moved" to the right, but I do feel compelled to touch and sometimes even hold to my cheek (no wonder my son finds me embarrassing at times) items of interest.

In a chapter titled "The Burning House", in the 1994 publication by the same name, Jay Ingram writes about the implications of decisions made by patients suffering from neglect. He makes reference to experiments conducted in the 70s by Timothy De Camp Wilson and Richard Nisbet which demonstrated that in everyday life most people are unaware of the influences that prompt their decisions. When asked to list possible factors influencing their choices in word-association experiments the carefully engineered word cues which had an "obvious and potent influence on the answers these subjects gave" where seldom mentioned as reasons for the decisions.

What was interesting about the experiments was that, "not only (were) most people unaware of the factors that are truly influencing their decisions -- they just don't know -- but they are also more than willing to identify a set of bogus factors --they tell more than they know.

Texture, as the cheek rubbing attests, plays a role in the decisions I make in the thrift store. Laura seems to have a more global and nostalgic connection with her purchases. What I wonder now, however, is the influence the LightBright© dress conversation has had on me. I do think about it when I clear the end of the bin and I will, no doubt, one day make such a purchase. When I do, I am certain I will recognize the influence which prompted the decision, but I wonder how many garments in my closet are mine now without my knowing why.

"Growing Your Way", Ginn And Company, 1954

2008-07-25T10:11:00.001-07:00

Visual Focus on Connotea

2008-07-17T08:58:00.001-07:00

Most articles on Connotea- a reference management system for clinicians and scientists - are not for the faint of heart. The system may be of use, however, depending on your choice of topics for presentation or essay .

Here you will find referenced articles on Visual Focus.

proof that not all languages see eye to eye

2008-07-14T19:47:00.000-07:00

"proof that not all languages see eye to eye" by emdot
with comments on flickr.

Word Study by Mickey Smith can be viewed on Jen Beckman's flickr stream.

More on Smell and Memory

2008-06-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

Shigeyuki Ito
answers some of
my questions
in his article
"Smell and Memory"
for
Serendip's Website.

John Sutton
writes about "Memory"
for Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

How to Think About Science

2008-06-21T03:25:00.000-07:00

There is invariably something interesting on late night radio. I usually make the discovery while setting my alarm and wishing I had turned in earlier.

Thankfully, CBC's Ideas Program offers downloads and Podcasts. These are of particular interest to students of ToK. I will be starting with Episode 24 - Nicholas Maxwell. I might even buy the book.

"My Favourite Science & Knowledge Books" by DanieVDM
With notes and comments on Flickr

The Art in Paper Cups and “Other” Insecurities

2008-06-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

My fifteen year old son loves to torment me by mentioning, with respect to my work, a comment which was made during the opening of “The Box Projects” in July of 2005. In parting, a woman refered to my pieces as “clever” and my son thought this was hilarious.

It struck a cord with me as well which seems ironic since I do consider my work more akin to parlour magic than high art.

When a fellow artist recently visited my work space and saw what I was working on, she asked, “What's this?” My heart sank as I replied, “It's just a paper cup I'm making.”

I had spent the previous week very excited about the possibilities inherent in my paper “test” and to hear myself describe it in these terms reduced it to what I, no doubt, secretly feared could be the perception of “others”.

In my work , I strive to be true to the process. I honestly don't give a lot of thought to what others will think of individual pieces. What is of interest to me, is the process inherent in story making, the revisiting of my own assumptions, the maliability of "truth" in the things I remember.

This brings criticism (from both within and without). Technique aside – all my “paintings” have more to do with cutting in and filling, for example, because of what I learned while painting door jams – the content of my work may very well just be a re-hashing of things best forgotten.

I really don't believe that, but I often think that. And I often, both in my head and in crowds of people I love, I say so.

My brain is often a blur with questions about art, and I guess what it really boils down to is a question about what it really is. Why is it important? Is it? What is its relationship to knowledge? Is it possible for it to be a way of knowing? Is making paper cups important?

Perhaps only a clever person would know for sure.

Critical Thinking On The Web

2008-06-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

austhink.org
is an on-line directory of quality resouces.

Time spent here is time well spent.

Below the ToK Diagram are a number of links recommended by austhink and associated with the Ways of Knowing and Areas of Knowledge.

Emotion
Reason
Perception
Language

Natural Sciences
Human Sciences
Mathematics
History
Ethics
The Arts

The Malleability of Touch Perception

2008-06-11T13:15:00.000-07:00

An experiment led by neuroscientist Patrick Haggard of University College London.

Code of Conduct

2008-06-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

ToK instructors Mr. Malone and Mrs. King, in their introduction to ToK at Poudre High School, state the following with respect to ToK:

"The purpose is not to destroy value systems or to judge one another as right or wrong, but to teach you to evaluate your knowledge claims, as well as (the claims of) others, by learning to support them."

What refinements might be made to Charlottetown Rural's Code of Conduct to ensure that class discussions and presentations are in keeping with both the Code of Conduct and the goals of ToK?

In particular, what additions would you make to lines 1, 2 and the concluding line, to support a safe environment for the exchange of ideas in ToK?

Brave New World

2008-06-04T12:55:00.001-07:00

I am re-reading Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Last night I finished Chapter XVI which has many interesting things to say about both Art and Science. I will, no doubt, have more to say about this novel and will update this post in due course. What I wish to share, at this time, is something perhaps far less important on any literary level.

I absolutely adore the smell of this book.

I am reading a copy which was purchased when I was about your age. I bought it in a musty secondhand bookstore following my first year of IB, and it has been stored in equally dank surroundings pretty much ever since. It's smell is intoxicating to me and, had my nose left a mark each time I leaned in to indulge, very few chapters would remain unsullied.

For now then, my reaction to the novel is limited to a few scattered thoughts and connections about olfactory senses:

-What role do olfactory senses play in "sense perception"?
-As a way of knowing, why is its connection with memory so strong?
-Phantoms in the Brain by V.S Ramachandran was my favourite Christmas read of 2007.
-Vilayanur Ramachandran speaks about synesthesia
in his Ted Talk, A journey to the center of your mind.

Your ToK Journal

2008-05-29T14:39:00.001-07:00

You are responsible for maintaining a journal in Theory of Knowledge. The goal is to reflect on the material covered in class and examine your own experience as a knower.

Amy Scott, a ToK teacher at Corral Reef High School in Miami, describes the objective of the Tok Journal as the creation of "a dialogue with yourself where you can question the world and propose your own insights into the how and why of things."

She outlines the following topics as suitable for journal discussion:

· Pay attention to instances of logical or informal fallacies
occurring around you.
· Describe instances in which your sense perceptions influenced your reactions to your environment.
· Describe arguments that occurred because people defined their terms differently. What were the different definitions and did the people involved finally realize their fallacies?
· Think of current events from a ToK framework ... Find related newspaper clippings on both sides of an issue.
· Take your journal to other classes (science, history, math, etc.) and jot down ToK related issues. Look for connections or discrepancies between or among disciplines.
· If you have visited an historical or art museum, what caught your eye? Aesthetically what did you find pleasing and why? What, to you, is good art, literature, music, architecture, dance, poetry, etc. ?

Amy Scott ToK

La trahison des images (The Treachery of Images) by Rene Magritte

2008-05-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

La Belle captive (The Beautiful Captive) by Rene Magritte

2008-05-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

La Belle captive (The Beautiful Captive) by Rene Magritte

2008-05-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Prescribed Titles

2008-05-22T14:43:00.000-07:00

1994

1996

1997

1999

May 2000

November 2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Richard Dawkins

2008-05-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

The following links may be helpful when considering the role of Sense Perception in knowledge aquisition.

The universe is queerer than we can suppose. Evolutionary Biologist, Richard Dawkins makes a case for "thinking the improbable" by looking at how the human frame of reference limits our understanding of the universe. We live, he explains, in a middle-sized world and have difficulty understanding anything very large — like solar systems — or very small, like atoms.

For more information on Richard Dawkins