Organizing

TOK Skill: Breaking Down a Prescribed Title into Several Questions about Knowledge

"The main reason knowledge is produced is to solve problems." To what extent do you agree with this statement?

What sorts of problems can knowledge solve?
The actions of human beings drive toward goals; the maps that knowledge provide help us to to identify and choose actions pursuant to those goals. So the biggest set of problems knowledge can solve is the one created by impediments to goals.

Historian Yuval Noah Harari points out several different problems addressed by different areas of knowledge. 'True' physical theory (as in science) will help you to hunt an animal, construct a bridge, etc., delivering a power which can manipulate objective reality and address impediments lodged in that reality. But, he adds, when it comes to power that manipulates human beliefs (the stuff described by history), a fictional story will achieve large-scale cooperation much better than the truth. We humans are tribal, says Harari, and outlandish stories help us to recognize members of our tribe, display loyalty to that tribe, and avoid painful truths about our past. Because the "advantages of increased social cohesion are often so big" he states, "fictional stories routinely triumph over the truth in human history." In short, impediments lodged in beliefs respond to fiction rather than truth. ...

What other reasons might there be for producing knowledge?
It appears we may need to decide which impediment problems are worthy of our attention. Consider science again; this powerful truth-linked map can also be used for ill or in service of just a few; think of our ability to make life more convenient and luxurious at the expense of the environment. ...

Maybe we just enjoy knowledge? The acquisition of knowledge need not solve any pressing impediment-removing problem? ...

Maybe we produce knowledge because we can; it's not tied to enjoyment, but is just what a human mind does when it is embedded in reality? Even if the body has no goals, and just sits there like a lump, the mind is producing knowledge? ...

Is problem-solving, then, the main reason for producing knowledge?

Word Count (so far): 323

Works Cited
Harari, Yuval Noah. "Why Fiction Trumps Truth." The Stone, May 24, 2019. The New York                         Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/24/opinion/why-fiction-trumps-truth.html

Questions students might ask:
1. How did you come up with your questions?
I asked myself: what do I need to investigate to thoroughly address this title? Well, I need to see what sort of problems knowledge can solve; this first investigation leads toward a 'yes!' answer to the title. Then I need to ask, is there something else knowledge does besides solve problems, which would lead toward a 'no!' answer to the title. Finally, I can compare the answers from these first two questions in order to decide if knowledge is mainly about solving problems. Here are some possible conclusions I could come to.
A. Knowledge is only about solving problems. (unlikely because extreme)
B. Yes, knowledge is mainly about solving problems, but there are some exceptions, particularly when...
C. Knowledge is mainly about solving problems, but there are other minor functions knowledge serves which are more than exceptions.
D. Solving problems is just one minor concern among [an]other more important concern[s].
E. Knowledge is never about solving problems. (unlikely because extreme)