Knowledge and History


Blog/Journal Entry-Due 2/6

Choose one of the following questions to explore in your Blog/Journal entry

  • "Is it possible to truly know the past?"

  •  "How does the perspective of the historian influence historical interpretation?"

  • "What role does evidence play in constructing historical knowledge?"

  • "Can history be considered objective, or is it always biased?"

  • "How does the present context shape our understanding of the past?"

  • "To what extent is historical knowledge different from other forms of knowledge?"

Remember, A journal entry should be based on a concrete, real life situation (RLS).

A RLS can be a response to a personal experience, a topic learned about in school (outside of TOK), a current event, or some form of media (TV show, movie, book, artwork, etc.).

This doesn’t necessarily have to be something that happened to you. Your decision about what to write about is up to you.

In your response, you should: 

  • Briefly explain the RLS that you are responding to.

  • Identify the relevant knowledge question: I will provide a list for each area we are focusing on

  • discuss your thoughts and ideas on that question.

  • discuss the connections to TOK. You can discuss the implications of your thoughts or talk about perspective, culture, the definitions of truth, knowledge, or belief, or reflections on the knowledge community you are a part of. Choose a key concept to connect to.

  • Connect your discussion back to your real life situation.


Rubric

20-18: All aspects of the assignment were met with a high level of personal engagement. Thoughtfully and thoroughly completed.

Work had well-developed connections and discussions of issues related to TOK.

Appropriately worded and discussed knowledge question.


17-16: Student met the basic expectations of the assignment.

Student did not develop or discuss strong connections to the class.

Knowledge question may not have been appropriately worded or discussed.


15-14: Did not meet all requirements to a satisfactory degree or may have left out part of the assignment. 

Discussion may have been superficial.







Comments

  1. Our understanding of history is shaped by the values and knowledge available to us in the present. As societies change and ideologies grow, so do the narratives. Therefore, our comprehension of the past is influenced by which aspects of history we focus on, how we interpret events, and what meaning we assign to them. This essentially acts as a lens through which we view historical events, highlighting issues that are most relevant to our current concerns and values. The way we learn about historical events is influenced by cultural shifts, newly discovered evidence, and ethical considerations. As children, many of us are taught a simplified version of history, which is later expanded or even challenged as we grow older. For example, when we were in kindergarten, we learned about Christopher Columbus, the hero who discovered a “new world,” but in the years following, we were also introduced to the devastating impact of European colonization on indigenous populations. This shift in knowledge helped me realize that history is not just a collection of facts but a narrative that is shaped by the perspectives and values of those who tell it. It also showed me how my understanding of history can evolve as I gain a deeper understanding and new perspectives. This could further challenge me to question what I have been taught and to seek a broader, more nuanced view of past historical events. This ties into our key concept of perspective, demonstrating how different viewpoints influence the way history is told. Younger children are taught modified versions of events, while more critical perspectives emerge as we can research and analyze new information. This also relates to our perception of truth and knowledge, as the “truth” about Columbus has not changed, but our knowledge of its implications has deepened.

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    Replies
    1. Question: "How does the present context shape our understanding of the past?"

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  2. Combining elements from various subjects, history is a unique class while still applying its main traits from other subjects. Throughout history, events reoccur in the modern-day with historians only being asked, ‘How did this happen?’ and ‘What will happen as a result?’. One example of this would be the vastly discussed foreign tariffs that the president would like to impose. With much discussion about it, historians look back to when other tariffs were imposed to see what effect it would have as a whole. These situations are where history as a subject shines the most, by allowing people to notice their mistakes and learn from them. While it would be important to see the topic of tariffs from an economic perspective, historians need to be aware of the consequences that come as a result. History allows us to acknowledge the impact of key ideas or actions based on their results. If government officials hadn’t understood the extent of imposing tariffs on a foreign level, the United States would massively suffer financially. With history, we’re able to grow and adapt based on past mistakes, learn from them, and hopefully avoid them in the future. It’s to this extent that we’re able to understand the significance of history as a class.

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  3. Is it possible to truly know the past?

    Because everything we know about the past is from different interpretations of events and perspectives, it’s impossible to truly know the past. Some aspects of the past are known such as the date that certain events occurred, however, not all nuances are known. An example of this is the sinking of the Maine. Newspapers accused the Spanish of being the perpetrators and many believe the event pulled the United States into the Spanish-American War, however, from analyzing primary and secondary sources, most historians have agreed that Spain’s responsibility in the sinking is debatable and that it was not the only cause of the war. Different historians will have different interpretations of the event and its effects and our understanding comes from our interpretations of theirs. Because of how much people’s evaluations of the past differ, it is difficult to know “true” history, that is, the entire, accurate description of the past. “Truth” in history is to a degree what the historian believes to have happened based on accessible knowledge and evidence. While there is a truth about the past, no one person knows it and it is unlikely that history will truly be known simply for the reason that it is the past and no one can go back to it. Many events will remain shrouded in mystery and ambiguity about what accurately occurred, from wars to past lifestyles to the sinking of the Maine and beyond.

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  4. Can history be considered objective, or is it always biased?

    History cannot be considered objective because of inherent bias, whether it be intentional or subconscious. It is possible to try and evaluate multiple perspectives and create a holistic overview of a historical event, however historical bias will always be present due to patriotism, nationalism, personal beliefs, and other factors. An example of this in modern pop culture is the debate of whether the NFL is rigged or scripted. Many claim that the referees at the Chiefs games are bribed or otherwise favor the Chiefs, hence their almost perfect record. On the contrary, Chiefs fans will deny this as they believe their team is capable of winning without assistance. Those who claim the games are rigged will search for evidence that the game is rigged, such as missed calls and unfair flags, yet ignore the same signs when the calls favor their team. Selective choice of evidence can allow for biased retellings and a lack of objective historical accounts.

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  5. "To what extent is historical knowledge different from other forms of knowledge?

    Historical Knowledge is different from other forms of knowledge because historical knowledge has an inevitable bias and different interpretations based on who is in finding the knowledge. For example other areas of knowledge such as sciences are completely based on fact and observation. In biology, an experiment cannot be interpreted different ways, data is concrete and either disproves or proves a hypothesis. In the past people believed in spontaneous generation was how life was created. Scientifically, that was proved wrong because life in today's circumstances cannot form from non-living matter. It is a fact that was disproved by Louis Pasteur and cannot be interpreted differently. However, historically people can have different knowledge on how life was created. Looking back on the past, different peoples and cultures would have different practices and rituals for life. We can interpret why or how they believed certain things to be true, but we will never truly know or proves why something happened. Evaluating historical is based on interpreting concepts of what was going on, while other knowledge types are based on concrete evidence with a right and wrong.

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