Ways of Knowing: TOKWOK

Ways of Knowing

• How do we know something?• For TOK they divide it down into 4 categories• Language• Perception• Reason• Emotion

What is Language?

Consider• Language is rule governed• Language is intended• Language is creative and open ended

Language is rule governed• Quan• Koira• Kutta• Madra• Inu• Gae• Hund• Why does Dog mean dog?• Why do we visualize a dog when we say these 3

letters• These are the tribe rules

Language is intended

Language is Intended

• You are in class, the teacher is writing on the board, you catch someone's eye and make a yawning gesture by putting you hand to your mouth

• You try to look interested when the teacher is talking you but yawn by accident

• Which of the above can be described as language

Language is Creative and open-ended• “The wise cow seeks shelter from the snow

at dusk”• Make up a wise saying that has never been

said before• Is sign language a language?• 3 minutes• Do animals have language?• 3 minutes

The problem of Meaning

• We get our a lot of our knowledge in the form of language

• Lots of problems here • What is a meaningful word and what is not• 3 main theories

Meaning of words: Definition theory

• Meaning is to be found in a dictionary• How would you describe this

• The meaning of a work and its dictionary meaning may be incorrect.

Meaning of words :Denotation theory

• Found in the world• i.e. France• What about abstract words like – Freedom– wisdom

Meaning of words :Image Theory

• You have an image in you head when speaking the word it is meaningful

• Problem here is that the image in you head may be different to the next person

All 3 theories have problems

• Therefore the Know How theory– You know the meaning of a word if you know how

to use it

Language at warWarspeak

Security assistanceNeutralizeNO longer a factor

Take out

Inoperative combat personnel

Pacification

Service a targetCollateral damageFriendly fireStrategic redeploymentLiberate

Reporting guidelines

Pre emptive

Ethnic cleansing

• Arms Sales• Kill• Dead• Dead Soldiers• Bombing • Dropping bombs on a target• Bombed cities• Firing on your own troops• Retreat• Invade• Censorship• Unprovoked• Genocide

Language to influence and persuade

• Terrorist/ freedom fighter• Pro life / pro choice• Genetically modified food/ Frankenstein • Free speech / hate speech• Department of War/ Department of

Defense 1947

Weasel Words

• Our product can restore up to 25% of lost hair• Probably the best larger in the world• Dentifresh toothpaste helps fight tooth decay• If Timothy works hard he should do himself

justice in the final exam• Find the weasel works in the above

Language and Translation

• What would be the advantage and disadvantage if everyone in the world spoke a single common language?

• What would be gained by this and what would be lost?

2nd Language

• “Who does not know another language does not know his own”

• Goethe 1749-1832• What can you learn about your own language

by studying a second language• 10 minutes in groups

Key points for today

• A great deal of our knowledge comes through language

• Language is – Rule governed– Intended – Creative

• Meaning of words is a matter of know how• Weasel Words• Language and translation

Scenario: Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

• Linguistic Determination• “Whether language actually allows you to

have new thoughts is a very controversial issue.”

Piraha People

Eskimos and words for snow

Linguistic Relativity

• The belief that people who speak different languages perceive and think about the world quite differently

WOK

•Ways of Knowing•4 Ways