The Knowledge Questions below are starting points for an investigation into each of the Prescribed Titles. Some examples are quite broad and you can improve some of them by being a bit more specific depending on what AOKs / WOKs / RLEs you end up discussing in your essay. Some of the Knowledge Questions below address the most or all of a Prescribed Title but other Knowledge Questions only focus on one part.
1. “If a disagreement about knowledge claims needs to be resolved, then it is essential to give equal attention to both sides.” Under what circumstances is this good advice?
Knowledge Questions
How does giving equal treatment to both sides in an argument produce knowledge?
How do disagreements produce knowledge in ____________ (e.g. an AOK)?
To what extent does international diplomacy require both parties in a dispute to get equal attention?
2. “Understanding something requires being able to answer ‘What if…?’ questions about it.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
To what extent does in-depth knowledge of a particular topic require the investigation of hypothetical situations?
To what extent can a topic be understood without investigating hypothetical situations?
3. “Too much of our knowledge revolves around ourselves, as if we are the most important thing in the universe” (adapted from Carlo Rovelli). Why might this be problematic?
To what extent does ethnocentrism have a negative effect on knowledge acquisition?
How does nationality negatively affect the growth of knowledge?
How does a narrow academic / research focus affect learning?
How does a focus on human-centered topic of study affect learning?
4. “The process of gaining knowledge is more valuable than reaching an end result.” Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.
In what ways does focusing on process improve knowledge acquisition?
To what extent is achieving successful results the goal of research?
To what extent can a flawed process result in successful results?
How should ethics be balanced with the need to get results?
5. “The questions we can ask depend more on what we already know than on what we do not know.” Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.
To what extent can knowledge only be gained from a point of reference?
To what extent are investigations independent of current knowledge?
6. “Reliable knowledge can lack certainty.” Explore this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.
To what extent is it possible to have reliable results without fully understanding the situation?
To what extent can knowledge only be reliable if there is certainty?