TOK: Ways of Knowing

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TOK Ways of Knowing

• Sense Perception

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(No Transcript)
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• We perceive the world through our 5 senses.
• Our 5 senses are
• Sight
• Hearing
• Touch
• Smell
• Taste

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• Sense Perception is an important
• dimension of our understanding of the
• World
• The channel of communication between ourselves
  and the outside world
• Its function and scope should be examined and
  critically evaluated

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• There are differing views on the role of our
• five senses towards the acquisition of
• knowledge
• Common-Sense Realism Perception is a passive and
  relatively straightforward process which gives us
  an accurate picture of reality

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• Common Sense Realism
• The way we perceive the world
• mirrors the way the world is

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• Sense perception is the
• active, selective and
• interpretive process of
• recording or becoming
• conscious of the external
• world

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• Perception can be thought of consisting of two
  distinct parts
• Sensation The part provided by the world around
  us
• Interpretation The part provided by our minds

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• Our experience of the world is
• affected not only by what is out
• there but also by our sense organs
• AND our minds

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Questions to Discuss

1. To what extent do our senses give us knowledge of
   the world as it really is?
2. What role does what we expect to see, or are used
   to seeing, play in what we observe?
3. What is meant by the saying knowledge is the
   true organ of sight, not the eyes?
4. Do you think perception is a more important
   source of knowledge in some subjects rather than
   others?