Hiroaki's TOK blog

1.       To what extent is truth different in mathematics, the arts and ethics?

In this question, I would first define what truth is. Truth is a factual statement which conforms with reality. Then I will put this definition into context with these three areas. In mathematics, truth is what the formulae and equations’ answers give and provide while conforming to all the rules and theories in mathematics. For example, 1+1 is 2, not any other number, because you know that it is the truth from the knowledge of the adding function and what is realistically correct. In ethics, the truth is what the majority of the culture you are in thinks is ethical. If everyone hunts lions for entertainment in your society, there will be reasons that this is the ethical truth for your society such as sentimental values and advantages to this activity. In the arts, it is similar to ethics that if the majority of the society thinks it is the truth, but there is essentially no truth because art is based on creativity, and if there is a norm in the arts then it will not be creative.

3.       Discuss the strengths and limitations of quantitative and qualitative data in supporting knowledge claims in the human sciences and at least one other area of knowledge.

Quantitative and qualitative data are used in different occasions because of the different type of evidence they give us for supporting knowledge claims. In human sciences, Quantitative data are used more frequently because of its precision and ability to be analyzed with other quantitative data. Qualitative data is useful for things which quantitative data is not capable of, for example more detailed information of the results. Qualitative data is useful for content analysis, and other forms of data gathering which doesn’t involve numbers. The two forms of data are advantageous in different ways and when used in the appropriate area of knowledge, it can benefit the research greatly.

4.       How can the different ways of knowing help us to distinguish between something that is true and something that is believed to be true?

                The different ways of knowing work together to get the most correct answer. The four ways help to figure out what it genuinely true and what it believed to be true. Something which is genuinely true is something which can be proved with evidence and thoughtful reasoning. What believed to be true can be explained with emotion and language, but there isn’t any factual evidence which uses reasoning to back the truth.

I don’t think mathematics is a language, but I think that mathematics is a type of language. Language is defined as interpreting symbols and signs from your senses into information. Mathematics fits this definition too. Math also uses symbols and signs (numbers, +, =, etc.) to interpret information. The only downside to my argument is that math is rather limited. With mathematics, you can only use it for numbers. Someone may say if math can’t talk about other things such as emotion and physical objects, it isn’t language. But I think that math isn’t language, but a type of language. Therefore it only interprets one type of information, but it is still a type of language because it has obeys all the rules of language, such as grammar and syntax.

In my opinion, I think that it is pretty much impossible to think without the use of language. I think so because language is the ability to associate words and symbols to an object or thought in order to understand it, or as Wikipedia says it: “a system for encoding and decoding information”. Try thinking of a pink house with two windows without language. You can’t do that in the first place because these words are associated with that certain feature of the house. You are using language to think of the pink house with two windows. This can also work with people who can’t speak or read English. Blind people associate sounds and texture with words to understand what they are hearing and touching. Deaf people also do the similar thing; they use their visual and textile sense in order to understand the environment around them. But this time since they cannot use their audio senses, so they associate signs and symbols so they understand what this and that is. When you think, you are constantly either thinking visually or verbally in their head, while you need a certain type of language (whether it be symbols, words, or just associating a certain emotion to something) to understand what something is.

I believe in myself. I believe that because I know that I am the most trustworthy person I know. I know when I am lying, and when I am saying the truth. I trust myself on the things my mind sees and interprets, and what my body feels. I believe in myself more than anything and anyone else. Although some people may say that the mind plays tricks on you, it is better than getting false information and knowledge from something else. When I get information, I try to get every and any kind of proof in order to support that new piece of information I have gathered, whether I get it from my senses, my logic, or just more information. When my mind says that something is false, I will rely on my mind and believe that it is wrong or fake until a type of information proves my mind it was wrong.

I know that I have 5 fingers each on my two hands. I know that because my sense of touch and sight proves it so. When I see 10 fingers on my hands and I feel 10 fingers on my two hands, I know that there are 10 fingers because there is a certain fact. I know that it isn’t more or less fingers because I can prove so by touching my hands and looking at them, making sure that I have 10 fingers. I have had them for my whole life, and nothing proves that I don’t have 10 fingers.