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WHAT COUNTS OF KNOWLEDGE? - Coggle Diagram
WHAT COUNTS OF KNOWLEDGE?
JTB concept is fulfilled;
i)Justification= must have valid reason (evidence)
ii)True = It must actually be true (accuracy)
iii)Belief = You must accept it as true (acceptance)
TOK concept
Evidence
Defines whether knowledge claims are credible.
In sciences → evidence = experimental, measurable.
In arts or ethics → evidence = interpretation or personal insight.
Interpretation
Knowledge isn’t static — people interpret it differently.
History, arts, and human sciences depend heavily on interpretation.
Interpretation shows why the same fact can produce different knowledge claims.
[Can knowledge exist without being communicate]
If communication is required for knowledge to be recognized, does that make language a gatekeeoer of knowledge?
Language shapes thought
Language influences how we perceive and categorize knowledge
https://www.simplypsychology.org/sapir-whorf-hypothesis.html
Exclusiom of the inexpressible
Tacit knowledge (muscle memory,spiritual insight) may be dismissed if it can’t be verbalized or written down
lack of trust, poor communication, or cultural barriers that inhibit sharing
How do different cultures preserve knowledge without written or verbal communication?
Symbolic systems and visual art
Petroglyphs and pictographs
Ancient societies like the San people of Southern Africa or Indigenous Australians used rock art to depict stories, cosmologies, and survival knowledge
hunting techniques, sacred sites
https://www.africanbudgetsafaris.com/blog/san-rock-art-in-southern-africa/
Totem poles and craving
In Pacific Northwest Indigenous cultures, totem poles visually represent clan lineage, spiritual beliefs, and historical events.
https://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/totem_poles/
Rituals and embodied practices
Dance and movement
In many African, Polynesian, and Native American cultures, dance is a form of storytelling and knowledge transmission
https://fiveable.me/dance-american-cultures/unit-4
Craftmanship and apprenticeship
Skills like pottery, weaving, or blacksmithing are passed down through observation and imitation, not verbal instruction.
https://ich.unesco.org/en/traditional-craftsmanship-00057
Gestures and body language
Sign system
Developed complex gesture-based communication
Plains Indian Sign Language in Northe America
https://thinkwy.org/programs/plains-indian-sign-language/
if memories are fallible , can personal
accounts count as knowledge ?
example Eyewitness Testimony in Court
If memories can be inaccurate, should eyewitness accounts count as reliable knowledge in the justice system?
Psychological research shows memory can be distorted by stress, suggestion, or bias
Eyewitnesses provide first-hand, experiential knowledge that can offer important evidence when physical proof is missing
Some legal systems require corroboration (other evidence) before accepting eyewitness memory as fact
Memory, though imperfect, often gives direction or context for investigations
example , Two countries may describe the same war or event in completely different ways
Whose memories or records count as historical knowledge, and how much do national or cultural perspectives shape it?
the ones who survived the event
their perspective is accepted if
has physical evidence related to their story
same story with other survivors
In Malaysia, the independence story is told differently compared to how British archives describe it
Who decides what counts as knowledge?
Example: In medicine,
who determines which treatments are “valid” knowledge
The expert in that field
veteran
scientists that have conducted experiments
example : law
In court, only certain types of evidence “count” as knowledge
example : DNA or documents while emotional testimony might be dismissed
Legal systems define what is accepted as factual knowledge