TOK Essay Should we trust our senses to give us the truth?

Senses can be defined as perception based on the stimulation of the senses.i They are based on the experiences of the five senses; touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. I will articulate my perspective as a knower on this issue with relation to three key ideas. Firstly, that senses are most reliable as internal reactions and not in retrospective recollection or when someone else tells you about their sensory experiences. Secondly, how artificial devices such as hearing aids affect the truth that can be attained from our senses. Once these limitations have been discussed I will argue that trust in our senses is the most important aspect of reaching personal truths and creating a reality that we believe in. The limitations of sense perception as a means to the truth will be evaluated although it will be seen from discussion of these three fundamental matters that while every basis for uncovering truth has its limitations, senses are a reliable source that we should trust in. Senses are responses to the environment that are unique for every person. They will be more exact in individual immediacy. It is right to question the truth of others before you yourself regard it as the truth. However, is this questioning because you do not trust this person s knowledge? Or that you do not trust their senses? After all, how can we be sure that what we tasted as sweet is in fact quite spicy as our partner suggests. Surely, it is a matter of personal taste, this is commonly accepted. Yet, on that basis shouldn t the same reasoning apply to areas outside of primary senses? Everything we know has to have been committed to memory via our senses; we have heard, seen or even felt our way through formal education. The limitation of senses is the memory and recount of them. What we personally sensed in a moment of time cannot be denied as our own truth however our recollection of these senses can often be thwarted by associated emotions or simply the inaccuracy of recalling memories. Senses may not be solely relied upon as truth if they are relayed senses. In communicating particular sensory experiences the truth may be overpowered by the influence of new experiences since the event or the circumstances under the story is being told. This limitation of relying on sense perception of a way of knowing is only relevant in the recollection of senses. It does not detract from the argument that primary senses can be trusted in to give us the truth. The focus of this essay has been in relation to the five main senses. One issue with this topic arises in relation to the concept of medical aids developed by technology that grant us a sixth sense . Devices such as hearing aids and artificial limbs are now readily available to enhance our natural senses. If we must trust our senses in order to attain more knowledge then is the use of these devices hindering our natural mindset? Will we experience a different kind of truth when aided by technology? In contrast, perhaps it was the physical or biological defect that was limiting our senses from their full perspective. Assuming this to be the case, are we even sure that the use of a hearing aid will accurately replay environmental sounds to our mind? The use of computerised devices could allow people to be brainwashed through programmed hearing aids. Although, to the victim of this scheme is what they are hearing the truth? Will the truth before or after the use of the medical aid be more accurate? On experiencing a new perspective we often start to doubt the validity of what we had previously held to be true. Again, my first argument must be applied here; trust in our senses must rely on immediacy and environment. The use of a sixth sense poses a difficult question as to whether senses should still be trusted even though they are not natural senses. I think that it is necessary to believe in what you are experiencing because it is the only aspect of your truth.

Personal senses and experiences are our most valuable way of knowing as they are natural reactions that can rely on in order to construct and control an immediate reality. I believe history has taught us that we can only rely upon our own senses. In a world where we can never be sure of what is truth and what is illusion the best chance we have on constructing some sort of reality will be to trust our own senses. Although, it may be true that I hear voices that my neighbour does not, there is no sense in one of us trying to prove that what we hear is the truth, nor is it productive to conclude that an impairment is responsible ie. That one is deaf or the other has a mental health disorder. It is not reasonable to compare truths, for every man s perspective on reality is different, and therefore it is impossible to create one pure truth. We must accept our personal experiences as our reality for we cannot be sure what else exists around us. Descartes famously said, Cogito ergo sum (English: I think therefore I am ). In the search for knowledge and absolute truth the more we learn the more we realise how much we do not know. In order to engage in these thinking processes some assumptions must be made. I agree with Descartes perspective as we must at least have faith in our own experiences. Relying on personal senses and experiences provides a foundation for exploring other knowledge issues. In conclusion, senses have been defined as touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. It is through these facets that we measure and experience all personal knowledge from our own perspective. It could be argued that senses are only reliable at the time which they are being experienced and I have considered this point. I was careful to discuss the validity of trust in our senses in their natural state. The technological advancements of sixth senses, could also be a hindrance to my line of thinking and this matter has also been reflected on. In taking these obvious limitations into account I still believe that we must rely on perception based on simulation of the senses in order to accept any reality.
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http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sense+perception