What can Halo Infinite teach us about ToK ?
“What’s The Point In Saving Humanity If We’re Gonna Give Up Our Own?”
Miranda Keyes, Halo
So said Miranda Keyes in The Halo Computer game series, she could have been asking the same question in a Philosophy lesson, or maybe even a ToK lesson.
The IB asks students of ToK to consider how ToK manifests itself in their everyday lives.
Today Halo Infinite is the best selling computer game in the world, therefore it’s a fair assumption to make that Halo Infinite may be in the everyday life of some ToK students.
Therefore, it may be useful for some of our students to consider how ToK manifests itself in the Halo Series.
A video version of this blog can be found here
Moral choices and ethical dilemmas.
A central lesson from ToK that players will find in Halo Infinite is the exploration of moral choices and ethical dilemmas. The Halo series often presents players with complex situations where they must make decisions that have significant consequences for the game's characters and the overall story. These choices can raise questions about the nature of morality, the concept of right and wrong, and the implications of one's actions.
Similarly in ToK we consider the ethical issues raised by the production, application and evolution of knowledge in each Area of Knowledge. We consider issues such as the overall benefit of knowledge against the ethical problems of producing that knowledge. There is a big debate currently being held about the ethics of Artificial Intelligence, which paradoxically is one of the core subjects of the Halo Series.
Moral Relativism in Halo
One of the underlying themes of the Halo series is Moral relativism, the idea that morality is subjective and based on context. This has two main articulations. Firstly it’s that in one situation someone / something can be immoral, whilst in another context that same thing can be positively moral. Cortana goes from being good in Halo 4 to being bad in Halo 5.
The second aspect of moral relativism concerns the relative morality of different behaviours and characters. Something may be bad, but not as bad as something else, and vice versa.
The Covenant Conflict itself the conflict between humanity and the Covenant is an example of moral relativism. From the perspective of humanity, the Covenant is seen as an aggressor and a threat, leading to justified defensive actions. However, from the perspective of the Covenant, their actions are guided by religious beliefs and the pursuit of their own version of a righteous path. This moral conflict reflects the idea of moral relativism, as both sides have different justifications for their actions, based on their respective cultures and beliefs.
Likewise in ToK we consider the role of values in shaping culture, and culture shaping context. We look at the role of the perspectives of knowers and knowledge communities in shaping what we know, how we know, why we know, how we interpret this knowledge and how we act on such knowledge.
The purpose and function of knowledge
Another theme in the Halo series that we also find in ToK is the purpose or function of knowledge, that is why knowledge is produced, and how that purpose / function influences the type of knowledge produced.
For an example of this in Halo we can return to Cortana:
Cortana's purpose influences her character arc and evolution. Initially, her primary function is to assist Master Chief, but over time, she develops self-awareness and a desire for self-preservation. In the later games, Cortana's purpose expands beyond her original function as she becomes more autonomous and demonstrates emotions and a sense of agency.
The problem of the causal direction of knowledge.
Linked to the purpose & function of knowledge is the knowledge issue of the causal directionality of knowledge. This is whether A causes B or does B cause A. An example in the ToK world might come from AoK Human Sciences, specifically Economics: Does our knowledge of say income redistribution cause income redistribution patterns, or did income redistribution patterns give us models (knowledge) of income redistribution?
An example of the problem of causal directionality of knowledge in Halo Infinite is raised by The Weapon, the AI created to imitate & trap Cortana. The weapon doesn’t know the reasons for its mission to trap Cortana. This raises the question whether Cortana caused the creation of the Weapon, or does the existence of the weapon change our knowledge of Cortana?
The law of Unintended Consequences.
This conveniently links to another parallel between the Halo world and the ToK World - that of the law of unintended consequences. This is when knowledge is created for a particular purpose, but it is applied in unexpected and unintended ways. A great example of this is the Cobra Effect seen in 19th century India.
In the Halo world we see this with the AI disease known as Rampancy. According to the Halopedia Rampancy is: a terminal state of being for artificial intelligence constructs in which the AI behaves contrary to its programming-imposed constraints. Traditionally, this is linked with the AI developing a longing for godlike power and contempt for its mentally inferior makers.
Other ToK knowledge issues that we find in Halo:
The relationship between historical knowledge, pre-existing current knowledge, and the development of new knowledge - such as Cortana's repurposing and re-application of the legacy machines Guardians Custodes.
The nature of knowledge itself - is it just routinised, high data, high efficiency like dumb AI (like the Personal AI Fret) or is it creative, problem solving, able to synthesise knowledge to make new knowledge & use imagination to fill gaps in knowledge ? (like Smart AI such as Cortana).
Serendipity vs intentional production of knowledge: eg How Atriox came across legacy Forerunner technology on the ark, allowing Atriox to contact Escherim to arrange for his return
In Halo Infinite we find the central ToK idea of the relationship between The knowledge of the knower and the shared knowledge of the community of knowers / networked knowledge. eg how Cortana was created from Dr Halsey's brain
There are also many classic Narrative and textual structures that we analyse in ToK, and Language A that we also find in The Halo Series. At the most obvious level we have classic story arcs of Overcoming The Monster, The Quest, Voyage and Return, and Rebirth.
If you have been inspired to use The Halo Series as one of your objects in your ToK Exhibition then be sure to pick up a copy of my ebook Every ToK Exhibition Prompt explained. Not only will you get a full explanation of every ToK Exhibition prompt, but also knowledge claims that you can use to ensure that you get high marks in your Exhibition.
If you would like further blog posts / videos on the ToK of The Halo Series, or you have suggestions for other games, films, books or music that you would like to see analysed using ToK please let me know.
Daniel, Lisbon, June 2023