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Can we know when to trust our emotions in the pursuit of knowledge? Consider History and one other area of knowledge.

Inherent Knowledge Issue s
To what extent can we trust the role of emotions in the pursuit of knowledge? To what extent does emotions help or hinder our acquisition of knowledge? What impact does emotion have on our gathering of knowledge and on the knowledge we gather?

Key Terms to be Defined and Discussed
The key idea of the question is to examine what role emotions play in the pursuit of knowledge.
 * Emotions as an obstacle to knowledge
 * Emotions as a source of knowledge
 * You can also examine the role of intuition in the pursuit of knowledge


 * Note:** Remember that the question is clearing asking you "can we know **WHEN** to trust our emotions in the pursuit of knowledge?

Possible Examples
//**History:**// To what extent a historian can view the evidence objectively
 * Can the role of emotions distort the analysis of primary and secondary sources
 * The role of the historian and the problems of bias (are they influenced by upbringing (experiences) and backgrounds (culture/nationality etc).
 * Historian R.G.Collingwood's idea of the importance of empathy in trying to understand a situation.
 * Historian Eric Hobswan (who recently passed away on the 01st October 2012) was one of Britain's most eminent historians and a Marxist historian: examine what influenced his viewpoint.

//**Mathematics, Natural Sciences and**// **//Human Sciences://** Can a scientist avoid becoming emotionally involved? How important is intuition in maths?
 * //**T**//he role of subject specific intuition in the development of mathematical and natural science theories.
 * Examine how emotions might motivate Mathematical and Scientific Research. The French Biologist Charles Nicolle (1866-1936) stated that "without ambition and without vanity no one would enter a profession so contrary to our natural appetites" (van de Lagemaat, 2005 p. 242). Some scientist are concerned as the next person with their social status and public recognition, the astronomer Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) was so anxious to get the Nobel Prize that he even employed a public relations expert to him secure it, unfortunately there is no Nobel Prize for astronomy. (van de Lagemaat, 2005, p. 242).
 * Historian and Philosopher of Science Thomas Khun (1992-1996): concept pf a paradigm to the philosophy of science. According to Khun, the progress of science is not as rational as sometimes thought. (van de Lagemaat, 2005, p. 242)
 * Examine the application of the scientific method, one of the problems is that observations are selective, and that you are most likely to notice things that confirm your hypothesis than those that contradict it.

//**The Arts:**// //While the arts are sometimes described as the language of the emotions, some people are suspicious of them precisely as they appeal to emotion rather than reason.//
 * The intentions of the artist
 * The response of the spectator(s)
 * Are aesthetic judgements objective or subjective?
 * The role of art in acquiring knowledge: examine the nature of art (art as imitation, art as communication and art as education)

//**​Ethics:**// Is ethics more a matter of the head or the heart?
 * Examine the role of emotions in ethical theories such as moral relativism, self-interest theory, Utilitarianism, religious ethics and duty ethics.
 * Examine the role of emotions in philosopher Immanuel Kant's (1724-1804) approach to ethics.


 * Note:** Remember that the question is clearing asking you "can we know **WHEN** to trust our emotions in the pursuit of knowledge? Therefore when examining the role of emotions in the Areas of Knowledge remember to bring it back to the question: the role of emotions in the pursuit of knowledge in that particular AoK.

Resources
//** History sources **//

http://www.google.com.hk/search?q=Eric+Hobswan&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16217726

van de Lagemaat, R., 2005, //Theory of Knowledge for the IB Diploma,// Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.