INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE

DIPLOMA PROGRAMME, MAY 2015

THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE ESSAY

With reference to two areas of knowledge discuss the way

in which shared knowledge can shape personal knowledge.

NAME: LUTANIA PUTRI KARYADI

CANDIDATE NUMBER: 0054
SUBJECT: THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE
SCHOOL: GANDHI MEMORIAL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, JAKARTA
SCHOOL CODE: 000902
SESSION NUMBER: 000902-0054
WORD COUNT: 1600

TOK ESSAY
With reference to two areas of knowledge discuss the way
in which shared knowledge can shape personal knowledge.
[Shared] Knowledge, said Plato, is justified true belief. This indicates a
distinct difference between shared knowledge and personal knowledge. Ergo,
allowing us to determine that shared knowledge is knowledge that has earned
justification and is known through the general public. Whereas personal knowledge is
knowledge acquired and developed in ones own mind, it could be about ones remark
on the world, ones views, as well as knowledge about ones self for instance, ones
religion, gender and even favourite food. In terms of TOK, the eight areas of
knowledge are shared knowledge that can shape ones personal knowledge through
the eight ways of knowing. Which are the knowledge developed on ones own, ones
personal views as well as preferences. Besides the eight areas of knowledge, shared
knowledge is also based on culture, gender, tradition and general knowledge. All of
this knowledge is justified by research studies and claims such as passive observation
and active experimentation.

From a very young age, we have been fed with shared knowledge based on our
parents and educators perspectives and beliefs. We were designed to perceive the
world in a certain way, and were therefore moulded into that particular way of
thinking. As a knower, it is extremely important to achieve information on a particular
topic from various sources of knowledge in order to achieve a broader understanding
on the topic concerned. It is only safe to point out a certain assumption and create a
personal knowledge if enough information is available. We are able to do this through
the eight ways of knowing. We could take the invention of Shuji Nakamura on the

newly discovered blue LED as an example1. Through the area of natural science, the
existence and the mechanics behind a normal LED could be developed with
imagination, to form a new type of LED, the blue LED. This discovery earned
Nakamura the 2014 Nobel Prize for physics. In this way, personal knowledge is
shaped through other ways of knowing. Imagination, for example, was one of the
ways Nakamura used to obtain his personal knowledge on the area of natural sciences.
The same way in which reason could be used in the area of history and natural
sciences as well. While faith can be used to shape personal knowledge on the area of
religious knowledge systems. So are there any other ways in which shared knowledge
can shape our personal knowledge? The same way the eight areas of knowledge are
not the only type of knowledge that moulds ones personal knowledge, the eight ways
of knowing may not be the only means that could shape ones personal knowledge as
well.

As an example, we could see how strong an influence religious knowledge

systems play in ones way of thinking. The knowledge systems of a religion are what
inspires and brings purpose to ones life. As knower, I was taught to believe that there
is a higher power and that we are given life with a purpose, not merely for sense
gratification. This knowledge system was implied through faith, which then shapes
our personal knowledge in a positive way. Although one religion may not agree with
another, its essential meaning is mostly the same. However, some misguided religious
teachings might be misleading. As an example, we could see from a few real life
situations where certain religious leaders lure people into being fanatical members of
their religion. Although it is a matter of faith, certain leaders could brainwash people
1 "UCSB Materials Department." UCSB Materials Department. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2014.

with means of reason, imagination and sense perception, as well as feeding misguided
knowledge based on history and ethics. This is what later form ones personal
knowledge negatively. This could be seen in the case of ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq
and Syria)2, where acts of terrorism take place as an act of religious belief. Their
recordings of horrific savagery towards a Japanese and number of western news
reporters, as well as killing innocent citizens in Paris and Australia has led to
numerous protests against the religion itself. As of now, around 12,000 foreigners and
3,000 westerners have been lured to ally with ISIS. Just as we put faith in our own
religion, they believe that might is the key to righteousness, and this results in a very
definite personal knowledge that such believers share, thus influencing one other.

From this example, it can also be seen that a knowers personal beliefs, past
experiences as well as education background are what builds up his views and actions.
The way in which one acts upon a shared knowledge that has been introduced to
them, and how they link it to their personal knowledge, are what decides how they
should act upon it. For example, I myself was brought up in a fairly religious catholic
family. Through faith, my parents has taught me that everything wrong that I did had a
consequence, which was to pay for sin. Therefore, from a very young age, I was
taught that to lie, steal, cheat and even slack around was a sin. Although I personally
didnt know how this sin would affect me, I always knew that these acts were wrong
and therefore, I lived between these boundaries the religion had built around me. On
the other hand, my close friend who was raised as an atheist perceived things
differently. He was much more open-minded to things, and everything had to be
connected with a valid reason. He was taught that to lie, steal, cheat and even slack
around was wrong, but he was furnished with a logical reason behind it, and therefore
2 "ISIS Explained." Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2014.

would build a different personal knowledge towards this aspect. Evidently, this shows
that the same teachings can be interpreted into ones own personal knowledge; even if
it is taught through various ways of teachings.

A counter claim that can be made to this argument is that there are other forms
of knowledge that could also add up to shape ones personal knowledge. When a
person lives in a society that is rich in culture and tradition, they are brought up to
believe in certain myths and beliefs. The Chinese fengshui is an example3. Through
decades and centuries of passive observation, Chinese people have developed a
method known as fengshui, which is the art of harmonizing people, with the place that
surrounds them. This knowledge system practices certain architectural aspects and
binds a rooms dynamics with the people present in them. This knowledge connects
with ones personal views mostly through sense perception and reason that the
theories developed in fengshui may be relatable to the natural science of physics, and
others understood through senses. Fengshui is another form of shared knowledge that
isnt fully based on any AOK; however, its knowledge focuses on Chinese beliefs,
culture and tradition as well. Therefore, it is not mandatory that a ones personal
knowledge is shaped through an area of knowledge, as there are other forms of
knowledge as well. All of these different types of knowledge are interconnected, and
are combined to form ones personal knowledge and assumptions as ones way of
thinking develops.

Furthermore, shared knowledge could impact ones personal knowledge both

positively and negatively. In the area of human sciences, we see that stereotypes,
3 "Feng Shui Design Ideas, Tips & Techniques." HGTV. N.p., n.d.
Web. 02 Jan. 2015.

specifically learnt in the subject of psychology are social defaults that have been
developed over the years. Taking this as an example, we are able to see that it is a
dangerously inaccurate way of grouping society, in spite that it has always been a part
of society. A stereotype is a shared knowledge, which has a dangerously large impact
on ones personal knowledge. For instance, it is rather stereotypical to regard blondes
as stupid. Therefore, it is not unusual to make a direct assumption based on this
stereotype in peoples day-to-day lives; these stereotypes are what cause harmful
overgeneralizing of situations and people. From this, we see how shared knowledge
could both benefit or harm ones social self, depending on how ones personal
knowledge is shaped.

When a knower is introduced to an area of knowledge, one perceives it in a

different way from another, therefore producing different results. When one develops
personal knowledge, it also has the potential to shape shared knowledge. This
counterclaim could be seen through the story of Alan Turing, a British mathematician
in the Second World War, who developed a machine that was used to crack the
Enigma; a coding device used by the Nazis to communicate in activating missile
launches. As experts calculated, this discovery helped end the war approximately a
year earlier, saving many lives. This personal knowledge developed by Turing kindled
the production of computers: Turings personal knowledge later evolved into vital
shared knowledge. This shows that shared knowledge and personal knowledge impact
each other, and that knowledge will always develop further in unpredictable forms.

Shared knowledge and personal knowledge are interconnected. Our

environment and personal experiences all add up to the way we perceive things. As
knowers, it is important to keep our personal knowledge unbiased and rational. When
a knower is dependent on a single area of knowledge, ones personal knowledge will
not develop in balance. A knower might not understand another perspective, but it is
important to respect each and every ones. The shared knowledge of another religion
may help us better understand our personal knowledge concerning our own religion: a
Christian can perhaps better comprehend the concept of duty upon reading the
Bhagavad Gita.

Bibliography
1.

"FengShuiDesignIdeas,Tips&Techniques."HGTV.N.p.,n.d.Web.02Jan.2015.

2.

"ISISExplained."Infoplease.Infoplease,n.d.Web.21Dec.2014.

3.

"UCSBMaterialsDepartment."UCSBMaterialsDepartment.N.p.,n.d.Web.16Dec.2014.