The Knower: That's You
- In TOK, a knower is anyone who takes in information and tries to make sense of it.
- That includes you scrolling through TikTok, your friend explaining why their favorite team is the best, and your grandmother sharing family stories.
Every time you learn something, you become a knower.
Your Background Changes Everything
- Here's what makes TOK interesting.
- Take the same piece of information and give it to different people.,they'll understand it differently.
- Not because some are smarter, but because they bring different experiences to the table.
- Take Pearl Harbor as an example.
- American student learns about Pearl Harbor: "Japan launched a surprise attack that brought America into World War II."
- Japanese student learns about Pearl Harbor: "Japan attacked Pearl Harbor as part of the Pacific War that had been ongoing since 1937."
- Same event. Different contexts. Different knowledge.
- Think of knowledge like looking at a house.
- Someone standing in front sees the door and windows.
- Someone standing behind sees the backyard and garage.
- Again, same house.
- Different perspectives, both can be true at the same time.
Three Ways Your Perspective Shapes What You Know
1. Cultural Lens
Your culture acts like a filter for information.
- Take medicine as an example:
- Western-raised student: "If it's not scientifically tested, it's not real medicine."
- Traditional Chinese medicine background: "Balance and natural remedies have worked for thousands of years."
- Neither is wrong.
- They're applying different cultural frameworks to evaluate what counts as valid medical knowledge.
2. Personal Experience Filter
What you've lived through affects what you believe.
- Using technology as an example:
- Student who grew up with smartphones: "Social media connects us globally."
