Throughout the Theory of Knowledge class, students are constantly challenged to identify knowledge issues or the limitations that come along with how knowledge is gained.  All Areas of Knowledge and Ways of Knowing are inundated with knowledge issues.  Some of which are relativism, certainty, culture, intuition, evidence, technology, belief and interpretation.  Each of these problems of knowledge are thoroughly and sometimes heatedly discussed.  Knowledge issues are questions that relate directly to how we as people view and understand the world, our immediate surroundings, ourselves and others.  All of the knowledge issues we face daily help to strengthen knowledge and reveal how knowledge can truly give to us as knowers.

 

One such Knowledge Issue discussed in great length is the concept of relativism.  The relativism theory states that conceptions of truth and moral values are not absolute to all people, but rather, they are relative to the group that holds them.  Such notion is an issue because it suggests that there are no universal morals or codes of conduct.  Relativism allows persons to act as their wish because they can create their own set of morals based on their individual perceptions of values and ideals.  People grow up with a sense of cultural identity and that affects you later interpretation of things

 

Certainty and communication work together to form one major Knowledge Issue.  Is anything for certain?  How can we know who we really are?  The knowledge issue of certainty incorporates the aspect of truth and addresses how to exactly know – or be certain – if something is true or not.  Communication is another knowledge issue dealt with diurnally.  It is truly uncanny to ponder upon how many things get "lost in translation."

 

Intuition is an innate sense that humans tend to feel when encountering a predicament that incites decision-making.  This sensation is marked by other feelings such as foreboding.  It may be said that it is intuition, like a conscience, that will allow us to follow the right path.  But consciences vary from person to person, and what defines a moral conscience, nevertheless, a moral person

 

Another Knowledge Issue is one of technology and evidence.   As technology advances with each passing generation, people rely less and less on their human intuition and focus more on the evidence that is produced based on the technological analysis.  How are we to trust that the computer, or whatever piece of technology we are working with, is correct? What are we basing our knowledge off of? Evidence produced by a non-human entity cannot necessarily be trusted.  To say technology is hard evidence, would be a mistake.  You have to take into account the mistakes that all technology systems have errors.  One error, could lead to massive problems.  The question remains then, how do you trust technology, when it is supposed to be the leading way of "knowledge?"

 

Related to intuition are our beliefs.  These can be thought of as sets of values that we tend to base the decisions in our lives upon.  Some peoples beliefs are based upon what life has taught them, some upon religion.  There may always be those people who have no beliefs, just as there are those with no consciences.  but which of this medley is correct in believing what they do?  Like all problems of knowledge, we can never know for sure.

 

Interpretation is another Knowledge Issue that is heavily discussed within the TOK classroom.  Our interpretation of events differs greatly from another persons.  How then, are we to know which interpretation is "truth?"  Which interpretation do we rely on? How are we to know if an interpretation of an event, such as a mugging, was not altered or skewed by emotions.  Interpretation can alter relationships, reputation, and even lives.  If an assumption is made, based on what we perceived, and that assumption is incorrect,   then the outcome of that situation as indefinitely been altered.