ToK Prescribed Titles (2009) Question 3 (post 10)

Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of reason as a way of knowing.

The essence of the Q: Arguably the most straightforward question of the ten - it is the converse of Question 2 in that it focuses you on the idea that reason gives us 'objective' knowledge. How? You must look at how reason is used in the formulation of ARGUMENTS and used to prove or disprove the truth of knowledge. Avoid simply defining 'inductive' and 'deductive' logic and saying that one is a strong use of reason and the other weak. However, bear in mind the associations between words in the context of TOK: 'strong' could be associated with 'certainty', 'proof', consistency... And 'weak' could be associated with 'fallacy', 'invalidity', 'improbability'... Make sure you justify each strength and weakness of reason. Make sure you also compare and contrast reason with the other ways of knowing. While this requirement is not obvious in the question, it is implicit - sometimes reason works well only in relation to the other ways of knowing, or is problematic when another way of knowing takes over. Finally, make sure you establish the CONTEXT in which reason is strong or weak: see 'Approaches' below. What is your overall evaluation?

Knowledge issues: is reason the most powerful way of acquiring and justifying knowledge? To what extent does reason establish 100% certainty in the knowledge claims we make? Are reason and emotion/perception incompatible? What sort of truth does reason gives us? How far can we trust the evidence of reason? Is reason exclusive to the areas of mathematics and the natural sciences? Why do we assume that reason plays no part (or a very limited part) in the arts? Is reason over-rated? Does all knowledge require a rational foundation?

Approaches: to plan the essay, make two columns and label them 'Strengths' and 'Weaknesses'. Make six corresponding rows and label them with each area of knowledge. Now, take each area and ask, which example shows a strength and which example shows a weakness of reason in this area? Next, write an explanation of your decision for why you chose each example. For example, history: one strength of reason in this area is to help us decide which event is significant (the idea of non-violence from Gandhi); one weakness is that the same evidence can lead to two opposite interpretations (the fall of the Roman Empire). You can limit yourself to 1-2 examples for each area. Try to explore the methods used by scientists to prove or disprove theories. Compare this to the methods of human scientists, such as psychologists, when describing human behaviour. Compare and contrast the creative process of artists or the proofs of mathematics in terms of the strengths and weaknesses of reason. You could even assess the role of reason in making ethical decisions or historical interpretations.