Morality Test

A fun online quiz.

But in taking it, I really felt like most of the questions were of an ethical nature. And in considering how we come to know ethical answers, it helps to have a starting point.

Here is the quiz. Let the games begin.

Time-Out

One of the main beauties of the TOK course, I think, is that it gives us training in taking time to pause and consider the suppositions posed as fact that bombard us in our media-rich culture. Every opinion seems to have very capable adherents ready to pass generally-acceptable talking points enriched with faulty logic off to the masses. Some who know me might think that in writing this I have a particular political persuasion in mind, but I don't really: I have shredded more than one magazine offer pandering to the side with which I regularly vote because the publications in question advertised with much too much pride that their contents offered counter-claims to foil any argumentative opponent. I am not interested in regurgitated talking points. I am, however, interested in really examining where our ideas fall in relation to justice, fairness, truth, and right.

So I was extremely pleased to find today on AskPhilosophers a wonderful description of what it takes to find rationality in a world full of arguments. Kudos to the questioner and to the respondent.

Wouldn't it be lovely if all of the talking heads took a day off and let us look for some answers in peace. Wouldn't it be a lovely thing to have a global day of TOK.

Scintillating Read

Ok, I know I have posted a lot of articles lately, but this one made my brain pop. Again, from the New York Times op-ed series, The Stone: on the nature of happiness, and the ways it may be similar to knowledge. (If we can agree on what knowledge is...)

AskPhilosophers: Must Art be Judged Morally?

Error

Reading IB Theory of Knowledge by Anthony Stewart, the textbook for TOK used at my school. Please note that on p. 397 the artist of Adoration of the Magi is listed as Uffizi. No. The artist is Gentile da Fabriano. The painting can be seen at the Uffizi gallery in Firenze.

Thanks.

Calvin on Experimentation

LINK: AskPhilosophers, re: Meaning of Truth

In addition, this response clarifies the idea of a truth-maker.