Reason
Language
Perception
Emotion
Introduction to
Knowledge: “Knowers
and Knowing”
How is “knowing
something” justified?
How does language
influence what is known
and how it is conveyed?
How do the senses
influence what is known
and how it is conveyed?
How does personal
experience and/or
ideology influence the
formation of a knowledge
base?
Ways of Knowing vs.
Areas of Knowledge
What is “reason” in
contrast to “emotion?”
How is “reason” related
to “perception?”
Is there “knowing”
without language? Is there
“thinking” without
language?
How is “perception”
influenced by “emotion?”
Is “emotion” a valid
indicator of knowledge?
Is “Emotion” more valid
in some Areas of
Knowledge than others?
Can reason/logic be
considered absolute in
reference to natural
science?
To what extent does the
scientific method vary in
different cultures and
eras?
In what ways does the
biology of an organism
determine or influence its
perception?
How does the social
context of scientific work
affect the methods and
findings of science?
Is it reasonable to claim
that mathematics is
effective in accounting for
the workings of the
physical world?
To what extent is Math
truly a “universal
language?”
What impact have major
mathematical discoveries
and inventions had on
conceptions of the world?
Are there aspects of
mathematics that one can
choose whether or not to
believe?
Can human behaviour be
usefully classified and
categorized?
In what ways might
cultural/language factors
affect the types of human
science research that is
financed and undertaken,
or rejected?
How might expectations,
assumptions and beliefs
affect perceptions and
thereby behaviours?
In order to understand
conscious behaviour do
we have to examine
motives, or the meaning
of an action for the
people involved?
Should the historian apply
the scientific method to
assure truth in the history
he writes?
Is history the study of the
past or the study of
records of the past?
Whose perception of
history is the accurate
one?
Is experiencing art the
same for all people? How
does this reflect upon art
being a representation of
truth?
What knowledge of art
can be gained by focusing
attention on the cultural
context of the audience’s
response, or the work
itself?
How is “good art”
recognized or decided on?
Does the artist carry any
moral or ethical
responsibility?
Does ambiguity in ethics
make it “weak
knowledge”?
What is the source of the
sense of “right” and
“wrong”?
Natural Sciences
Mathematics
Human Sciences
History
Arts
Ethics
Indigenous Knowledge
Systems
Belief, Certainty, and
Truth
Religion
Does the possession of
knowledge carry an ethical
responsibility?
Can the relativity of
culture and language
render truth valid or an
action ethical in one place
but not so in another?
Are value judgments a
fault in the writing of
history, or does exclusion
of value judgments
deprive history of
meaning?
What knowledge, if any, is
independent of culture?
What are the implications
of the intertwinement of
language and culture?
How is “embracing
cultural diversity”
perceived by different
cultures?
How does placing
various values on
“emotionally derived
knowledge” influence
different cultures?
Is certainty possible
without evidence?
Is “false knowledge”
false? Is it knowledge?
How does perception
alter belief, certainty, and
truth?
How do feelings and
beliefs about what is
valuable influence the
pursuit of knowledge?
Imagination
Intuition
Memory
Faith