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Emotion as a Way of Knowing
Emotion as a Way of Knowing
What does the subject guide say?
What does the subject guide say?
- Are emotions universal?
- Can/should we control our emotions?
- Are emotions the enemy of, or necessary for, good reasoning?
- Are emotions always linked to belief?
The naturalistic view of emotions is that they are the products of natural processes, with physiological causes and effects. One supporter of this view was Darwin, who believed that emotions are purely physiological and therefore universal and experienced across all cultures. However, there seem to be many examples of culturally bound emotions, for example, the Chinese notion of “sad love”. The opposite view is therefore that of the social constructionists, who argue that emotions depend on a social consciousness, and have no natural basis at all. For example, emotions such as shame seem to presuppose a notion of right and wrong.
Emotion has sometimes been regarded as an unreliable way of knowing. Emotions have, for example, been criticized as being irrational obstacles to knowledge that distort our picture of reality. However, others believe that not only do emotions help make sense of social and cultural experiences and behaviours, but they are also the source of social, ethical and political knowledge by helping us form an understanding of the world around us.
(From TOK Subject Guide IBO)
Hurricane Florence, September 2018 (Human Science)
Hurricane Florence, September 2018 (Human Science)
Which ways of knowing are used in responding to this clip from The Weather Channel forecasts of storm surge in Hurricane Florence? Is emotion an important WOK for people deciding whether to evacuate after a hurricane warning?
Can decision-makers use emotion as a powerful WOK to encourage people to make particular decisions?
How do the graphics in this clip achieve this?
The more people who die, the less we care?
The more people who die, the less we care?
What does this talk say to you about emotion as a WOK? Imagination? Reason? How do they combine to shape our understanding of world events?
Rob Heard: Shrouds of the Somme (The Arts/History)
Rob Heard: Shrouds of the Somme (The Arts/History)
72,396 British and South African soldiers were killed and have no known grave on the Battlefields of the Somme. Consider how this art project uses emotion as a way of knowing.
How do the shrouded figures communicate knowledge in a way which is different from reading about it in a book or hearing it from a teacher?
To what extent can the emotion be conveyed by photographs/video? How/why might it be different to stand in front of the shrouded figures?
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