TOK essay
TOK Essay: When should we discard explanations that are intuitively appealing?
Many question its reliability because at times, intuition is of great help to us, but other times, it may influence us in making the biggest mistakes. Before we are able to decide whether or not “intuitively appealing” explanations should be considered, we need to define the word. Simply, intuition is a method of attaining knowledge without the use of reason. It is the direct knowledge that we can access without rational thinking, it’s just a feeling. However, how will we know if we can trust our intuitions? If so, should we completely depend on this mere “gut feeling”?
A general knowledge issue relevant to this topic that we can start with is: Why should we discard explanations at all if they have not been proven wrong? This essay should attempt to answer this question in the areas of knowledge of natural sciences through the ways of knowing of sense perception, emotion, and reason. Before we start, we must consider the different types of intuitions.
Without empirical evidence to prove against an explanation, how do we know it’s incorrect and that we should, in fact, discard it? On the other hand, after being provided with facts that completely disproves a theory, they are immediately discarded without giving it too much thought after.
For example, let us consider the explanation that ‘video-game violence leads to real-life violence’—an idea that seems intuitively appealing to many. This correlation has been made because it is reasonable to believe that children with constant exposure to violence in the media can internalize the message that the world is a hostile place and that aggression is an acceptable way act. Although this explanation seems reasonable, is this correlation also causation? Because two outcomes occur alongside each other, one should not be assumed to be the cause of another. In fact, last year in Sweden, a study was carried out which disproves this theory,
Many question its reliability because at times, intuition is of great help to us, but other times, it may influence us in making the biggest mistakes. Before we are able to decide whether or not “intuitively appealing” explanations should be considered, we need to define the word. Simply, intuition is a method of attaining knowledge without the use of reason. It is the direct knowledge that we can access without rational thinking, it’s just a feeling. However, how will we know if we can trust our intuitions? If so, should we completely depend on this mere “gut feeling”?
A general knowledge issue relevant to this topic that we can start with is: Why should we discard explanations at all if they have not been proven wrong? This essay should attempt to answer this question in the areas of knowledge of natural sciences through the ways of knowing of sense perception, emotion, and reason. Before we start, we must consider the different types of intuitions.
Without empirical evidence to prove against an explanation, how do we know it’s incorrect and that we should, in fact, discard it? On the other hand, after being provided with facts that completely disproves a theory, they are immediately discarded without giving it too much thought after.
For example, let us consider the explanation that ‘video-game violence leads to real-life violence’—an idea that seems intuitively appealing to many. This correlation has been made because it is reasonable to believe that children with constant exposure to violence in the media can internalize the message that the world is a hostile place and that aggression is an acceptable way act. Although this explanation seems reasonable, is this correlation also causation? Because two outcomes occur alongside each other, one should not be assumed to be the cause of another. In fact, last year in Sweden, a study was carried out which disproves this theory,
Bibliography: BIBLIOGRAPHY Stephen Hawking: alien life is out there, scientist warns. (2010, April 25). Retrieved February 3, 2012, from The Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/7631252/Stephen-Hawking-alien-life-is-out-there-scientist-warns.html Video games 'don 't make kids violent ': study. (2011, December 6). Retrieved January 3, 2012, from The Local: http://www.thelocal.se/37756/20111206/ Popper, K. R. (1959). The Logic of Scientific Discovery (Translated from Logik der Forschung). Germany: Taylor & Francis Group.