TaK – Knowledge Claims

What is a Knowledge Claim?

• If prefaced with “I think that….”, it is a personal opinion;

• If prefaced with “I believe that…”, it is a personally held belief

• If prefaced with an explicit “I know that….”; or an implied confidence in the truth of the statement, then it is a Knowledge Claim.

“I know that….”, “The truth is that….”, “The earth is flat”, “You cannot trust your senses”, “Math is more important than the Arts”, “There is life after death” etc.

Knowledge Claims

By now, after many years of full-time education and life-experience, you can, perhaps, claim to know many things.

You should be able to see what good reasons you might have for what you say that you claim to know and choose to believe.

These may include:

TaK – Knowledge Claims

logic

perception

intuition

Self-awareness

memory

consensusauthority

faith

TaK – Knowledge Claims

Knowledge Claims

Here is a list of things that I might claim to know,and another list of reasons I might give to support these claims.

Match the reasons to the claims.

Claims

1. (I know that) the sky is blue

2. (I know that) 2 + 2 = 4

3. (I know that) it is wrong to murder a person

4. (I know that) I have a fear of spiders

5. (I know that) I went out for a run yesterday

6. (I know that) what the doctor said is true

7. (I know that) women are more emotional than men

8. I know exactly what God wants of me

9. (I know that) I am going to heaven

10. (I know that) the fjord is more beautiful than a rubbish tip

11. (I know that) I love my brother

Justification

Value judgement

Faith

Memory

Authority

Intuition

Revelation

Sense perception

Logic

Self-awareness

Common knowledge

Instinct

Knowledge Claims

1. Your friend has told you that a vending machine has just been installed in the Kantina. Do you believe her or not? Why or why not? Do you ask questions to evaluate the claim?

2. Your friend has just told you that the math test was difficult. Do you believe her or not? Why or why not? Are you more inclined to ask questions than you were in #1?

3. Your friend has just told you that she regrets not having studied harder for the math test and that she thinks she will fail. Do you believe her or not? Why or why not?

4. Your friend, obviously upset, has told you that a flying saucer has landed behind near Sweden House … and 15 little green men stepped out! Do you believe her or not? Why or why not?

TaK – Knowledge Claims & Knowledge Issues

Knowledge Claims

5. Your chemistry teacher tells you that one mole of any substance contains 6.02 x 10 molecules. Do you believe her or not? Why or why not?

6. Your Math teacher has just told you that Math is the most fascinating subject in the world. Do you believe him or not? Why or why not?

7. Your parents have always told you that it is important never to be rude to your elders. Do you believe them or not? Why or why not?

8. Religious leaders have told you that there is a God. Do you believe them or not? Why or why not?

TaK – Knowledge Claims & Knowledge Issues

23

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Knowledge Issue

What is a Knowledge Issue?

• Questions/Issues that help us to obtain knowledge

• Issues which hinder our ability to obtain knowledge

Wherever there is a Knowledge Claim, there are Knowledge Issues

TaK – Knowledge Claims

Questions which may help us to obtain knowledge …

TaK – Knowledge Claims

What?

Who?

How?

Why?

When?

Where?

A partial list of factors which may help or *hinder our ability to obtain the truth…..

Age

Ethnicity

Education

Gender

Nationality

Prejudice

Experience

Beliefs

Emotions

Assumptions

TaK – Knowledge Claims

*hinder: to prevent, cause delay, get in the way

TaK – Knowledge Claims

Questions which help….

• What?

• Who?

• Where?

• When?

• Why?

• How?

TaK – Knowledge Claims

Factors which hinder?

• Age

• Prejudice

• Education

• Opinion

• Belief

• Assumptions

TaK – Knowledge Claims & Knowledge Issues

GoodJudgement

Sceptical Easily convinced

TaK – Knowledge Claims