3. “There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact” (Arthur Conan Doyle). Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.
“an obvious fact” – First of all, there is no clear definition or agreement as to what an “obvious fact” is. Something that may seem obvious to a particular person or group under one set of circumstances may not seem obvious to others. Look for areas in AOKs and real-life situations where a seemingly obvious fact can lead to an in-depth discussion of knowledge.
“deceptive” – An obvious fact can be deceptive in a number of ways. For example, a fact that is widely accepted is less likely to be scrutinized. Also, something may seem obvious to a particular group of people because of links to culture, identity, nationality, occupation, etc. The group’s belief in this obvious fact may be problematic if people assume it is true and don’t investigate their beliefs. Sometimes though, a fact may appear to be obvious because there is a significant amount of research and evidence to back it up. Not all obvious facts are necessarily deceptive.