TOK faith reading #4!

You guys have done a great job dealing with the very difficult course readings on this subject, so I have decided to challenge you in a different way. The reading below will be SIGNIFICANTLY easier than those of St. Issac, Siddharta, and Ibn Rushd. They will, however, provide a VERY different perspective, and one that you do not have ready access to. I invite you to approach this with an open, yet critical mind. I look forward to our discussion of it on Saturday!

Have a great weekend. Have fun with this reading...

check it out at: http://www.aish.com/shmooze/faith_and_knowledge.asp

TOK Reading, March 4!

Hey guys! I'd really like you to read chapter 4 of Religion and Philosophy, "Divine Justice and Injustice" by Ibn Rushd... for class tomorrow! Be ready to discuss his views on faith and knowledge!

the reading:

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1190averroes.html

TOK Faith Reading No. 2

Today (2/18) we will complete our discussion of St. Isaac the Syrian's perspectives on the relationship between faith and knowledge. Therefore, we must now move east, and examine a wholly (or holy) different perspective. I invite you all to read the following quote from Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), and then to read the first section (entitled "The Nine Ways not to accept something as true") of the webpage linked below it. We will be reading subsequent sections of the page later this week, so it may be a good idea to bookmark it! Cheers.

Do not believe in something because it is reported. Do not believe in something because it has been practiced by generations or becomes a tradition or part of a culture. Do not believe in something because a scripture says it is so. Do not believe in something believing a god has inspired it. Do not believe in something a teacher tells you to. Do not believe in something because the authorities say it is so. Do not believe in hearsay, rumor, speculative opinion, public opinion, or mere acceptance to logic and inference alone. Help yourself, accept as completely true only that which you test for yourself and know to be good for yourself and others.

-- The Buddha, The Kalama Sutta, Anguttara Nikaya, Sutta Pitaka

The Sight:

http://www.vipassanafoundation.com/favoritequote.html

TOK -- you gotta have faith!

Hey guys, as we dive headlong into our Ways of Knowing, our next topic will be a highly controversial one. A discussion of Faith and Knowledge can lead to some very impassioned responses. It shall then be my job to be both your teacher and moderator as we move into our next topic, and as such, I will attempt to provide you with a plethora of readings from our diverse world. Our first of these comes from an essay entitled The Theory Of Knowledge of St. Isaac the Syrian by St. Justin Popovich, and while it is an Orthodox Christian study of Faith and Knowledge, this essay provides us with a unique perspective in which to veiw the relationship between both. I do hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I have, as it is an extremely unique work. I would like you to have printed this out and read it closely for our next class. The essay can be found at the following link:

http://strannik.com/watchful_gate/node/22

Theory of Knowlege - An introduction to Aesthetics

Hey guys, make sure that you get me your paper (3 paragraphs) by tomorrow! Your paragraphs should name and explore the images that you find to be 'beautiful'. Make sure to fully describe these images and why they impact you in such a way!

TOK Perception Projects

BEHOLD! The Perception Project.
TOKers: Please, using your readings, and your unboundable wits, select an image, an illusion or a hoax that tricks our eyes. Then, examine how that image, illusion or hoax WORKS. How does it fool our vision? Please research your topic, and prepare a 3 page report and a 15 minute presentation to share your findings and dazzle our eyes. Your presentation should encorporate both visual and auditory stimuli. GOOD LUCK!

Theory of Knowledge Compendium of Illusions

Hey TOKers!


Here are some interesting illusions for you to observe (as an addendum to our readings!) Can you figure out how these illusions fool your eye?

Akiyoshi Kitaoka’s image on the left is called “Out of Focus”. It also leads to a seeming shift of the central disk with respect to the surround. It is very effectively provoked by the eye movements occurring during reading. So, while you are reading this cast your “inner eye” to the left and watch for a seeming decoupling of disk and background. You may also observe that the disk floats above the background.

TRY THIS ILLUSION on your own!
The "frankfurter illusion"
If you have two roughly equivalent eyes you will see a ‘sausage’ floating in front of you in mid air, by following these steps:
Hold your hands in front of you, at 20–30 cm distance from you, at eye level.
Point your index fingers against each other, leaving about 2 cm distance between them.
Now look “trough” your fingers, into the distance behind them.
The sausage should appear now, and you can change its length by varying the distance between the finger tips.
For most observers, the sausage will look blurred, at least initially.
If you try to look at the sausage, it will disappear, it is only present if you look at something more distant than your fingers.
It helps if the background is rather homogenous and has a color very different from your fingers.

THIS ILLUSION is called Mr. Angry and Mr. Calm. Look closely. At first Mr. Angry is on the left. Yet, if you SQUINT or move away from your screen, the faces will SWITCH!

for all of these and more fun illusions (and some every more fun explanations) check out this webpage.

http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/

DON'T TRUST YOUR EYES!

Theory of Knowledge Syllabus starting 10/09

Hey TOKers... here's your new syllabus (time to bend your mind)

Assignment 1: Sense Experience, section 3.1 (define: Sense Perseption)

Assignment 2: Sense Experience, section 3.2 up to Delusions of the mind (p. 48) (freak out!)
Assignment 3: Delusions of the Mind (sweet) to Seeing As (pg 50)
Assignment 4: Seeing As to section 3.3 (pg 55)

Assignment 5: Section 3.3

Assignment 6: Section 3.4

Assignemnt 7: ANSWER THE STUDY QUESTIONS ON PG 59

TOKers PAPER ASSIGNMENT

Hey TOKers... here is your 2 page paper assignment and guidelines.

Please choose one thing that you think (at first glance) is completely useless to mankind's main priority (to survive and propogate). Then please write a 2 page paper logically and clearly explaining the benefits and contributions of that object in furthering mankind's main priority.

Your paper may contain outside research coupled with your own ideas.

Your paper should be 2 pages (max) 12 pt. times new roman font, and no variations on the boundaries. Your paper should be submitted to me on Wednesday. No later. You may submit your paper electronically if you so choose through my email address -- JSchnei2@gmail.com

Hopefully you would choose something of similar apparant uselessness as these two rabbits on a skateboard.

THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE hmwk 1 (sept 6)

Hey guys --
here is a syllybus for the next four assignments (they are all from the same webpage!) PLEASE PRINT OUT THE PAGE AND BRING IT WITH YOU TO CLASS!!!

All readings are from the following web address:

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/knowledge-analysis/

Due Sept. 9: Sections 1 and 2 of The Analysis of Knowledge entitled "Knowlege as Justified Truth" and "The Gettier Problem"

Due Sept. 10: Sections 3 and 4 (An Alternative Approach: Reliablism AND Internalism and Externalism)

Due Sept. 12: Sections 5 and 6 (Why Internalism? Why Externalism)

Due Sept. 16: Section 7 (Two Analyses of Knowlege)
ON SEPT 16 the is an IN CLASS ASSESMENT!!!! (use the weekend to study up)