Propaganda, Deception and Conspiracy.

From the ToK Guide (2020): "An interesting focus for discussions in this theme could be misinformation and disinformation, deliberate deception and manipulation, and how we know who/what to trust. This could include reflection on which sources of knowledge (books, websites, personal experience, authority figures, and so on) students consider most trustworthy, and why. It could also include reflection on how advances in technology have brought these issues into sharper focus through, for example, discussion of “fake news” and its machinery.

Another interesting focus for discussions could be to explore how we perceive and construct our understanding of the world. This could include consideration of the way that culture can be seen as a lens through which we look at the world, or the impact of filters, image manipulation and propaganda. For example, students could consider at what point filters become more important than what really exists, or the influence of hidden assumptions in shaping us as knowers."

What to do:

1. Watch this Youtube video

2. Look at these propaganda posters from Vietnam.

-How have these posters been designed to influence the perspective of the Vietnamese people?- What are the hidden assumptions inherent to these posters ?

3. Work in pairs. Create your own piece of propaganda (either poster or film). Decide on the message (semantic aspect of knowledge), the target audience and the evolution of knowledge that you want your propaganda to achieve.

4. Reflecting on your propaganda:

• which aspects of knowledge were you trying to change (behavioural, emotional, cognitive) ?

• what were your underlying assumptions about the knowledge that you were trying to change ?

• what were your underlying assumptions about the audience for your propaganda ?

5. Given your answers to Q2-Q4 how do you respond to the following Knowledge Question:

What constitutes a “good reason” for us to accept a claim?

Make a mind-map, graphic or write 3 paragraphs to answer this KQ.