True Love, Knowledge(?), Truth, and Belief

One interesting response to Edge's Question of 2005 (see the preceding post) was provided by Dr. David M. Buss, a psychology professor at the University of Texas whose primary interests include the evolutionary psychology of human mating strategies; conflict between the sexes; prestige, status, and social reputation; the emotion of jealousy; homicide; anti-homicide defenses; and stalking. [Hmmm, that's an interesting mix!]
Dr. Buss' answer: True love. Read his full (albeit short) response at http://www.edge.org/q2005/q05_5.html#buss

Questions & issues that could be considered:

A) Analyze and reflect on the final lines of Dr. Buss' response: "It's difficult to define, eludes modern measurement, and seems scientifically wooly. But I know true love exists. I just can't prove it."

B) Most people would call love an emotion. Emotion, in turn, is identified as a Way of Knowing in TOK. What does Dr. Buss' response seem to say or imply about the reliability of emotion as a way of knowing?

C) Dr. Buss' draws a distinction between "love" and "true love." What seems to be his basis for making that distinction? Do you agree that there is a distinction? Do you agree with the distinction he makes, or do you make a different distinction? Why? How does someone know if they are "in love," and if they are, how do they know if it is "true love?"

[Thank you to Ellen J. for bringing the source for this post and the previous post to my attention. She will receive credit for completing a journal entry as a result, because she showed me these (in a book) before I started the blog. See the comments in the Introduction post to find out how you can turn in one journal entry and have it count as two entries.]

"What Do You Believe Is True Even Though You Cannot Prove It?"

According to its website (www.edge.org), the purpose of the Edge Foundation is "to promote inquiry into and discussion of intellectual, philosophical, artistic, and literary issues, as well as to work for the intellectual and social achievement of society." (Obviously, it is not to be confused with "The Edge," the diversion on page 1 of The Oregonian's Living Section.) Each year for the past 10 years, Edge has posed "The Edge Annual Question" and published online the responses of acclaimed thinkers and scientists. The question for 2005 is a classic TOK question:

"WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IS TRUE EVEN THOUGH YOU CANNOT PROVE IT?"
Great minds can sometimes guess the truth before they have either the evidence or arguments for it (Diderot called it having the "esprit de divination"). What do you believe is true even though you cannot prove it?

[See http://www.edge.org/q2005/q05_print.html for comments from the editor-publisher of Edge.org about the question and the published responses.]

Questions & issues to consider:

A) Keeping in mind our readings and discussions from the first part of the school year, what do you make of this question? Analyze it in terms of the concepts of knowledge, justification, truth, and belief. Is the Edge question a valid question?

B) As you think about it and analyze it, what thoughts and ideas does it spark about the relationships between those concepts (i.e. knowledge, justification, truth, and belief), as well as the concept of proof?

C) What does it mean to "prove" something? What is "proof," as it seems to be used here? What constitutes proof (and not just in a strictly mathematical sense)? How is the concept of proof related to the concepts of knowledge, justification, truth, and belief?

D) What does the question seem to imply about the nature of belief? the nature of truth? Why isn't the word "knowledge" used in the question?

[Please note that you are NOT being asked to answer Edge's question. Appropriate comments should focus on analyzing and commenting on the nature of the question and on the concepts that comprise it.]

Clarifications

Clarification #1: If a post contains more than one heading or question, you are NOT expected to comment on each of them. I will try to suggest at least a couple of different directions or avenues for response in order to appeal to the various personalities, interests, and mindsets of different students in the three classes. Pick one and do it well! (Hence my advisory in the Introduction that quality is more important than quantity.)

Clarification #2: Be sure to focus your comments on the knowledge issues raised in the post. For example, the comic strip in the post "Language, Open-mindedness" clearly has a political undertone and slant. However, responding to that political element should not be the focus of your comment. Unless...

Clarification #3: You do not have to limit your comments to the issues that I suggest for a particular post. You are encouraged to raise other knowledge issues that you see implied in the post. The operative term here is "knowledge issues." Thus, with respect to the example cited in Clarification #2 above, you could center your comment around what you think the political message or slant of the comic strip is as long as you talked about the basis for your claim to know what that message or slant is.

Language, Open-mindedness

Click here for a larger image of the comic strip.

Language:
Consider the word play used in the comic strip. What does it say about the value of language as a way of knowing? Does this flexibility and malleability of language help or hinder our efforts to acquire knowledge? (Take special note of the second definition given for "malleability.")

Open-mindedness:
Consider the final frame/punchline of the comic strip, and reflect back on the readings from the beginning of the year: J.S. Mill, "On the Liberty of Thought and Discussion;" Plato's Allegory of the Cave from The Republic; and Edmundson, "On the Uses of Liberal Education...." What would be the response of any or all of those authors to the comic strip? Taking into consideration their comments, what is your reaction to Opus' comment in the final frame of the comic strip?

Introduction

So, are you behind on your entries in your TOK-OC journal? (You should have 8 entries by the end of this week.) Are you having trouble identifying subjects or experiences to reflect on and write about in your journal? Are you lost, dazed, and confused? Well, take a deep breath, let it out real slow, and relax...This blog provides an alternative route to fulfilling the TOK-OC Journal portion of your class grade. (You still have the option of making journal entries in the traditional paper-pen format.)

By way of reminder, the purpose of the TOK-OC Journal is to encourage you to make connections between the ideas that we've considered in class and your experiences & observations outside of the classroom. However, a number of you have indicated that you're not sure what to write about. So, here's how I envision this working...

I will post items here that are both appropriate and potentially effective as topics for a TOK-OC journal entry. I will also pose some questions or comments to jump-start your thinking about the knowledge issue(s) implicit in each item. You can then post a comment reflecting on the knowledge issues raised (this can include additional knowledge issues that you identify). Or you may respond to other students' comments, using them as jumping off points for adding your own comments. You may make multiple comments on the same posting, thus creating an exchange or dialogue with other students. All of your comments on a particular posting will be considered as a single journal entry; consequently, multiple comments may improve your score for that "entry." Your comments will be scored based on: a) knowledge issues you identify and address; b) the quality of thought and reflection evident in your comments; and c) the level of respect and consideration you demonstrate toward other viewpoints. [It should go without saying that comments that fail miserably on the last criterion will be removed by the moderator, but I'll say it just to make sure everyone understands.] (Reminder: Quality is valued over quantity...but they are often related.)

In order to give everyone an opportunity to get caught up, I will post several items each week for the next couple of weeks. Each post will be available for comments from students for one week.

Finally, if you discover something online that sparks an idea for a TOK-OC journal entry, forward both the web address for the item and your journal entry to me by e-mail. If I agree that the item is both appropriate and potentially effective, and I use the item and your comments as a post on the blog, you will receive credit for two journal entries.