What features of knowledge have an impact on its reliability?
Get LOTS more help with this prompt from the e-book ToK Exhibition Prompts 1-5 Explained.
The ebook contains:
An overview explanation of each prompt.
Examples of three knowledge claims for each prompt.
Suggestions for the types of object that would be appropriate for each knowledge claim.
How to structure the ToK Exhibition Commentary.
This is just an example of a commentary for the ToK Exhibition prompt "What features of knowledge may impact on its reliability ?". A YouTube video overview of this commentary is linked here.
I recommend using this structure for writing the commentary for each object.
ToK Concepts should only be included if they're relevant, don't 'force' them in for the sake of using them.
'Evidence' can be citing evidence, a newspaper article, or details about the object itself. There should not be a separate evidence section at the end, just weave the 'evidence' into the commentary.
Knowledge claims for the features of knowledge which may impact its reliability.
I recommend developing 3 knowledge claims (or “Knowledge arguments”) BEFORE choosing objects. The knowledge claims that I have developed are:
Knowledge Claim 1: The knowledge production methodology may impact its reliability. (thalidomide)
Knowledge Claimt 2: The interpretation of knowledge may impact its reliability.
Knowledge Claim 3: The intention of the producer may impact its reliability (Murray-Herrnstein Bell Curve).
Object 1: A Youtube video on the effects of the Thalidomide Tragedy
methodology is a feature that may impact reliaibility
Video Credit: (Deutsche Welle News)
Link the real world context of Object 1 to the prompt.
The YouTube video of the effects of the drug Thalidomide describes the major public health disaster that occurred in the 1950s and 1960s. Thalidomide was a medication that was marketed as a sedative and anti-nausea drug for pregnant women, but it caused severe birth defects in thousands of infants born to women who had taken the drug during pregnancy.
The weaknesses in the drug trials that led to this tragedy are well-documented (Zimmer). The significant flaws in the testing and trials of the drug Thalidomide led to a lack of knowledge of the effects of the drug. As such, the way in which the knowledge was produced (as a feature of knowledge) impacted the reliability of the knowledge of the drug.
Link Object 1 to Knowledge Claim 1.
The methodology used to produce the knowledge of the effects of thalidomide (the drug trials) were flawed in many ways. The original clinical trials of Thalidomide had been conducted on healthy adult volunteers, but not on pregnant women or animals. The drug was assumed to be safe because it had very few side effects in adults, and it was believed that the placenta would act as a barrier to prevent the drug from reaching the foetus.
However, it was later discovered that Thalidomide was able to cross the placenta and accumulate in the developing foetus, leading to severe birth defects such as limb abnormalities, deafness, blindness, and internal organ damage. The extent of the tragedy was vast, with an estimated 10,000 children affected worldwide.
Another weakness in the drug trials was the lack of proper monitoring and reporting of adverse effects. Many physicians and pharmaceutical companies failed to report cases of birth defects or other side effects, and some even dismissed them as unrelated to Thalidomide.
Justification for the inclusion of Object 1.
The Thalidomide tragedy highlighted the importance of proper drug testing, monitoring and reporting of adverse effects. It also demonstrated the need for transparency in drug trials and marketing. The tragedy led to significant changes in drug regulation and testing worldwide. Governments and regulatory agencies began requiring more rigorous testing of drugs for safety and efficacy, including testing on pregnant women and animals. As such the Thalidomide tragedy demonstrates the importance of producing reliable knowledge in some contexts (eg Medicine), and the role of the method of knowledge production in attaining that reliability.
Object 1: 380 words
Object 2: Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies by Margaret Mead (1950.)
Photo credit: (Mead)
Link the real world context of Object 2 to the prompt.
I read this book whilst studying Social and Cultural Anthropology for my IB Diploma. Margaret Mead conducted fieldwork in the 1930s among the Arapesh, Mundugumor, and Tchambuli people of New Guinea. Mead's research focused on gender roles and challenged the prevailing notion that gender differences were biologically determined. However, her research has been criticised for various biases, including misinterpretation of the behaviours she observed. Her research shows that one of the features of knowledge that can impact reliability is the interpretation of knowledge.
Link Object 2 to Knowledge Claim 2.
Mead misinterpreted the behaviours that she observed. She thought that the Tchambuli people had reversed gender roles, with women being dominant and men being passive. However, subsequent research has showed that both men and women in Tchambuli society played active and passive roles in different aspects of their lives.
It is also argued that Mead imposed her own cultural assumptions and values on the people she studied. She projected her own preconceived ideas about gender roles onto the cultures she studied. Further, she emphasised the peaceful and cooperative nature of the Arapesh people while downplaying their violent tendencies. This misinterpretation of findings reduced the reliability of the knowledge of the cultures studied.
Justification for the inclusion of Object 2.
When I first came across Mead’s study I was struck by the central role that interpretation of observations plays in the production of knowledge, particularly in the Human Sciences. Misinterpretation of behaviour can be difficult to ascertain, because a highly reliable deductive research method is difficult to apply in a valid way in human sciences (unlike natural sciences). As such, Mead’s research taught me that interpretation of knowledge can significantly impact the reliability of knowledge, particularly in human sciences.
Object 2: 273 words
Photo reference: Candidate’s own copy
Object 3: The book The Bell Curve by Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein (Herrnstein and Murray )
Link the real world context of Object 3 to the prompt.
I read parts of this book whilst studying the Knowledge and Politics Theme of Theory of Knowledge. The book made claims about the relationship between intelligence, race, and social outcomes in the United States. It has been widely criticised for its methodology, interpretation of data, and the potential influence of political bias on the research. As such, Object 3 shows that the intention of a knowledge producer can impact the reliability of knowledge.
Link Object 3 to Knowledge Argument 3.
One way in which political bias may have influenced the Bell Curve research is through the researchers' own political beliefs. Both Murray and Herrnstein were conservative scholars who had previously expressed controversial views on race and intelligence. Critics have argued that their political biases may have influenced their research questions, data analysis, and conclusions. As such their political intentions may have influenced the reliability of the knowledge produced.
The book was criticised for its use of controversial sources, e.g. J. Philippe Rushton and Arthur Jensen, who were known for their controversial views on race and intelligence. By using these sources, Murray and Herrnstein may have been influenced by political biases and may have been seeking to promote a particular political agenda, in turn influencing the reliability of their findings.
The book was criticised for its interpretation and selective use of data to support the authors' preconceived notions of race and intelligence. Again, the political intentions of the authors may have impacted the reliability of the knowledge produced.
Justification for the inclusion of Object 3.
It has been argued that the book promoted policies that led to the reduction of social and welfare programmes in the USA in the 1980s (Winston). The Bell Curve book shows that knowledge which is presented as being te product of scientific research is accorded authority and legitimacy. As such, it can be used in policy making, with subsequent consequences on people’s lives. It’s status as “scientific research” means that the intentions of the knowledge producers, and the consequential effect on the reliability of that knowledge, is less likely to be taken into account.
Object 3: 335 words
Total: 988 words (I have a little editing to do!).
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Works Cited
Deutsche Welle News. “Living with the effects 60 years after Thalidomide scandal | DW News.” YouTube, 27 November 2021, https://youtu.be/lDr9m6J2wck. Accessed 21 April 2023.
Herrnstein, Richard J., and Charles A. Murray. The Bell Curve. Free Press, 1994.
Mead, Margaret. Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies. United States, New American Library,, 1950.
Winston, Andrew S. “Review of The Funding of Scientific Racism: Wickliffe Draper and the Pioneer Fund.” Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, vol. 58, no. 3, 2003, pp. 391-392, https://muse.jhu.edu/article/44934.
Zimmer, Carl. “50 Years After Defect Tragedy, Finding Answers on How Thalidomide Caused Defects.” The New York Times, 15 March 2010, https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/16/science/16limb.html. Accessed 21 April 2023.