Theory of Knowledge Retreat October 31 st – November 1 st 2008

1. Theory of Knowledge RetreatOctober 31st – November 1st 2008 Reason & Emotion

2. Knowledge Spectrums rational emotional Psychology Physics Languages A1 Ethics Business Studies Mathematics Geography Biology History Languages B Economics Chemistry Natural Sciences

3. Activity As you watch the next four video clips

4. Clip 1

5. Clip 2

6. Clip 3

7. (Wb.p.23)

8. Deductive & Inductive Logic When I was in Australia I saw hundreds of brown kangaroos. Every kangaroo I’ve seen since then has been brown. I’m pretty sure all kangaroos are brown. Which one is which? All humans are mortal. I am human. I am mortal. Inductive = drawing general conclusions from specific examples. Deductive = drawing specific conclusions from known premises.

9. Groups 1,3,5: What do we ‘know’ about the world through the process of induction? Brainstorm some examples in pairs. Groups 2 & 4: What do we ‘know’ about the world through the process of deduction? Brainstorm some examples in pairs.

11. The problem of induction: having a lucky streak / being ‘on a roll’ Consider the chicken who is fed every day by the farmer. Being a philosophical sort of chicken, after a few weeks it applies induction and comes out to greet the farmer each morning, expecting food. One day, the farmer wrings its neck. Bertrand Russell, the philosopher, remarked that perhaps 'more refined views as to the ... [problem of induction] ... would have been useful to the chicken.' What would the world be like if induction ceased to be reliable?

12. No nurses are soldiers. All nurses are smart. Therefore some smart people aren’t soldiers. Smart People Soldiers Nurses

13. Problems with Deduction? The more very poor people you have in a generally rich country, the higher the crime rate. A high level of welfare stops people from being very poor. Therefore, to keep crime low we should maintain this high level of welfare. Are there any problems with this argument? Why / why not? Share with a partner.

14. What about this argument? Welfare systems discourage people from working. Having lots of people unemployed is bad for the economy. Therefore, if we want a healthy economy we should look for ways to abandon the welfare system.

15. And this one…? Vertically opposite angles are congruent. Angles A and B are vertically opposite. Conclusion: What is the conclusion? Is it valid, true, neither or both? Share with a partner.

16. Can logic help us decide? What else might you use, apart from logic? Killing someone, unless in self-defence, is wrong. Abortion kills unborn babies. Therefore abortion is wrong. What happens to a person's body is ultimately their decision. To prevent a person deciding about their own body is wrong. Having an abortion involves a woman deciding about her body, so to prevent her doing that would be wrong. Hence preventing abortion is wrong.

17. In the following clip, a college student is trying debating the relative merits of creationism and Darwinism. What do you think are the roles played by reason and emotion, when trying to make up his mind?

19. As you look at the following slides, note down your emotions, as well as any other physical or mental reaction you may have…

28. Now turn to your partner, and answer the following questions together: • How are emotions triggered? • How long do emotions last? • How would you classify emotions? • What determines the strength or weakness of an emotion? • Is it possible to exert control over emotions? If so, how? • Do you make emotions happen, or do they happen to you? • What do emotions make you do? • How do emotions make you think differently?

29. The James-Lange Theory Interpretation of specific physiological changes as the emotion Specific physiological changes Perception of emotion-arousing stimulus The James-Lange theory of emotion states that different emotion-arousing external stimuli will produce specific physiological changes that in turn directly cause specific emotional feelings. Thus, the external stimuli of a dangerous object will cause the physiological response of adrenaline release / increased heart rate, which in turn is felt as the emotion of fear. According to this theory, you are afraid because you run.

30. The Schachter-Singer Theory Perception of emotion-arousing stimulus Physiological responses Physiological responses can be interpreted in different ways – different people may label the same response as a different emotion. Cognitive identification of feedback from physiological responses as a particular emotion According to this theory, I feel my heart beating fast because I’m afraid. He feels his heart beating fast because he’s excited…

31. Activity: Reason and Emotion in the AoK In groups 1. Choose 2 group members to observe while the rest of the group does the activity. Group 1: Create a piece of music based on the painting (The Arts) Group 2: The Trisha Marshall Dilemma (Ethics) Group 3: Which is more durable, recycled or non-recycled paper (Natural Sciences) Group 4: Create a piece of music based on the painting (The Arts) Group 5: How has China changed since the Cultural Revolution? (History) 2. Observers feed back to the group, using your answers to the observation sheet questions. Guiding question: what is the balance of reason and emotion in… (The Arts, Ethics, Natural Sciences, History) 3. 1 or 2 members report back to the class.