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What is the relationship between personal experience and knowledge?

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Tittle: Evolution of Technological Devices

Personal Narrative in the context of TOK:

As I was looking through headphones, I saw the different models sold that were all released at different years. These different models all had different specifications, where the older ones would have less updated technology. Since I was looking through gaming headphones, I realized a major difference between the models over the years was the quality of surround sound used. Aside that, there are also different and newer features in the more recent models.

I applied TOK concepts to this experience:

- Justification: By buying one of the newer models of the headphones, I get to experience the improvement in technology when I compare it to my older ones. The claims made by the product were true; The quality of audio and mic was better then the older one.

- Certainty: the certainty of how much better a product is can only be determined after trial. When bought online, it only can be tested after it’s bought.

This experience made me realize that the knowledge of how much better technology improves can only be determined after purchasing the product. Even in an offline store, you can’t identify the strength and weaknesses of the product to identify the change in technology over a short span of trial. Using the headphones more will allow you to go in depth in the strengths and weakness to experience the improvement made in the technology of the headphones, therefore gives you knowledge about the evolution of technological devices.

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1. Knowledge and Knower

2. Knowledge and Language

3. Knowledge and Technology

4. Knowledge and Politics

5. Knowledge and Religion

6. Knowledge and Indigenous Society

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TOK 2022: Free theory of knowledge website

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Free TOK website for students and teachers of the IB DP. Contains a wealth of lesson materials as well as top tips for the assessments of the new 2022 theory of knowledge specification.

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What is the relationship between knowledge and culture?

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How is current knowledge shaped by its historical development?

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How important are material tools in the production or acquisition of knowledge?

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To what extent is certainty attainable?

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What are the implications of having, or not having, knowledge?

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In what ways do our values affect our acquisition of knowledge?

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Who owns knowledge?

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In what ways do values affect the production of knowledge?

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Does our knowledge depend on our interactions with other knowers?

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How can we distinguish between knowledge, belief and opinion?

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How can we judge when evidence is adequate?

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What role does imagination play in producing knowledge about the world?

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Does all knowledge impose ethical obligations on those who know it?

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How might the context in which knowledge is presented influence whether it is accepted or rejected?

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What makes a good explanation?

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To what extent is objectivity possible in the production or acquisition of knowledge?

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What role do experts play in influencing our consumption or acquisition of knowledge?

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What counts as a good justification for a claim?

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Are some things unknowable?

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Why do we seek knowledge?

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What constraints are there on the pursuit of knowledge?

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Does some knowledge belong only to particular communities of knowers?

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How can we know that current knowledge is an improvement upon past knowledge?

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Is bias inevitable in the production of knowledge?

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Are some types of knowledge less open to interpretation than others?

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Can new knowledge change established values or beliefs?

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What challenges are raised by the dissemination and/or communication of knowledge?

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How does the way that we organize or classify knowledge affect what we know?

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What counts as good evidence for a claim?

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On what grounds might we doubt a claim?

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What features of knowledge have an impact on its reliability?

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Are some types of knowledge more useful than others?

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What counts as knowledge?

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Objects are clearly identified and has specific real-world contexts.

Links between objects and selected IA prompt are clearly made and well-explained.

There is a strong justification of the contribution of each object.

All, or nearly all, of the points are well-supported by appropriate evidence and explicit references to the selected IA prompt.

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Should some knowledge not be sought on ethical grounds?

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Objects are identified and has real-world contexts.

Links between objects and selected IA prompt are explained, but may lack of precision and clarity in parts.

There is a justification of the contribution of each object.

Many of the points are supported by appropriate evidence and references to the selected IA prompt.

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Objects are identified and has real-world contexts vaguely or imprecisely stated.

Links between objects and selected IA prompt are explained some, but may lack of precision and clarity in parts.

There is a justification of the contribution of each object.

Some of the points are supported by appropriate evidence and references to the selected IA prompt.

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Objects are identified and has real-world contexts implied rather than explicitly stated.

Links between objects and selected IA prompt are made, but the explanation is unconvincing and/or unfocused.

There is a superficial justification of the contribution of each object.

Some of the points are not supported by appropriate evidence and lack of references to the selected IA prompt.

There maybe a significant repetition across the justification of the different objects.

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Objects are generic images and the real-world contexts are not stated.

Links between objects and selected IA prompt are made, but minimal, tenuous, unclear.

There is a very little justification of the contribution of each object.

The commentary on the objects is highly descriptive or consist only of unsupported assertions.

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The exhibition does not reach the standard described by the other levels or does not use one of the IA prompts provided.

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Chosen TOK Theme: Knowledge and Language

Object: Tree Octopus Website

The object chosen is a website about an endangered species of tree octopus. The website is an elaborate hoax. Not only has it not been updated and looks old, it also lacks sources for most of its information. Most of the pictures look obviously photoshopped or blurry, and the website itself isn’t a reputable source. These factors can be used when considering the reliability of the knowledge. Luckily, this website seems to have been made for fun and no harm was intended other than misinformation.

However, there are other websites out there that don't spread misinformation as a harmless prank. Many sources actually spread misinformation to take advantage of others. A good example of this could be propaganda.

Source: https://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/

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Help Save The ENDANGERED

From EXTINCTION!

The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus

Rare photo of the elusive tree octopus
(Enhanced from cropped telephoto)

The Pacific Northwest tree octopus ( Octopus paxarbolis) can be found in the temperate rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula on the west coast of North America. Their habitat lies on the Eastern side of the Olympic mountain range, adjacent to Hood Canal. These solitary cephalopods reach an average size (measured from arm-tip to mantle-tip,) of 30-33 cm. Unlike most other cephalopods, tree octopuses are amphibious, spending only their early life and the period of their mating season in their ancestral aquatic environment. Because of the moistness of the rainforests and specialized skin adaptations, they are able to keep from becoming desiccated for prolonged periods of time, but given the chance they would prefer resting in pooled water.

An intelligent and inquisitive being (it has the largest brain-to-body ratio for any mollusk), the tree octopus explores its arboreal world by both touch and sight. Adaptations its ancestors originally evolved in the three dimensional environment of the sea have been put to good use in the spatially complex maze of the coniferous Olympic rainforests. The challenges and richness of this environment (and the intimate way in which it interacts with it,) may account for the tree octopus's advanced behavioral development. (Some evolutionary theorists suppose that "arboreal adaptation" is what laid the groundwork in primates for the evolution of the human mind.)

Reaching out with one of her eight arms, each covered in sensitive suckers, a tree octopus might grab a branch to pull herself along in a form of locomotion called tentaculation; or she might be preparing to strike at an insect or small vertebrate, such as a frog or rodent, or steal an egg from a bird's nest; or she might even be examining some object that caught her fancy, instinctively desiring to manipulate it with her dexterous limbs (really deserving the title "sensory organs" more than mere "limbs",) in order to better know it.

Map of estimated tree octopus maximum range, including spawning waters

Tree octopuses have eyesight comparable to humans. Besides allowing them to see their prey and environment, it helps them in inter-octopus relations. Although they are not social animals like us, they display to one-another their emotions through their ability to change the color of their skin: red indicates anger, white fear, while they normally maintain a mottled brown tone to blend in with the background.

The reproductive cycle of the tree octopus is still linked to its roots in the waters of the Puget Sound from where it is thought to have originated. Every year, in Spring, tree octopuses leave their homes in the Olympic National Forest and migrate towards the shore and, eventually, their spawning grounds in Hood Canal. There, they congregate (the only real social time in their lives,) and find mates. After the male has deposited his sperm, he returns to the forests, leaving the female to find an aquatic lair in which to attach her strands of egg-clusters. The female will guard and care for her eggs until they hatch, refusing even to eat, and usually dying from her selflessness. The young will spend the first month or so floating through Hood Canal, Admiralty Inlet, and as far as North Puget Sound before eventually moving out of the water and beginning their adult lives.

Why It's Endangered

Route 101, separating the rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula from Hood Canal

Although the tree octopus is not officially listed on the Endangered Species List, we feel that it should be added since its numbers are at a critically low level for its breeding needs. The reasons for this dire situation include: decimation of habitat by logging and suburban encroachment; building of roads that cut off access to the water which it needs for spawning; predation by foreign species such as house cats; and booming populations of its natural predators, including the bald eagle and sasquatch. What few that make it to the Canal are further hampered in their reproduction by the growing problem of pollution from farming and residential run-off. Unless immediate action is taken to protect this species and its habitat, the Pacific Northwest tree octopus will be but a memory.

The possibility of Pacific Northwest tree octopus extinction is not an unwarranted fear. Other tree octopus species-including the Douglas octopus and the red-ringed madrona sucker-were once abundant throughout the Cascadia region, but have since gone extinct because of threats similar to those faced by paxarbolis, as well as overharvesting by the now-illegal tree octopus trade.

Tree Octopus hat from 1923

The history of the tree octopus trade is a sad one. Their voracious appetite for bird plumes having exhausted all the worthy species of that family, the fashionistas moved on to cephalopodic accoutrements during the early 20th Century. Tree octopuses became prized by the fashion industry as ornamental decorations for hats, leading greedy trappers to wipe out whole populations to feed the vanity of the fashionable rich. While fortunately this practice has been outlawed, its effects still reverberate today as these millinery deprivations brought tree octopus numbers below the critical point where even minor environmental change could cause disaster.

While efforts were made in the past to preserve remaining tree octopus habitat, these were met with resistance by the timber industry, which has traditionally viewed the tree octopus as a nuisance, both because the octopuses favor the valuable, moss-shrouded trees of old growth forests-pitting conservation needs against lucrative sources of lumber-and because octopuses hiding among felled trees often gummed up sawmills and stained pulp vats with their ink.

Traveling sideshow exhibits, such as this one by Glen "Bones" Hartzell from 1942, demonized tree octopuses to the ignorant masses
(Click to enlarge)

These nuisances led many loggers to regard tree octopuses as bad luck, resulting in the pointless killing of octopuses on sight at logging camps in a misguided attempt at eradicating the troublesome species. Anti-octopus sentiment was so strong among loggers that some even began to fear that the octopuses were prone to attacking humans.

These fears were fueled in no small part by gratuitous stories involving tree octopuses harassing lumberjacks and distressing damsels in Northwestern-themed pulp magazines of the 1930-40s and variously "nipping", "entangling", or "suckering the flesh" of the heroes of men's action magazines of the 1950-60s. (The magazine publishers depended on cheap paper made from wood pulp and were glad to contribute to the anti-octopus propaganda campaign of the timber industry.)

To this day, misunderstanding and fear of these gentle creatures can still be found among many old timers, although education campaigns-and special octopus-separators installed at sawmills-have largely halted the practice of tree octopus eradication.

How You Can Help

More Tree Octopus Information

Posters motivate the citizenry to action! Post them!

Tree Octopus FAQs - Frequently asked questions, now with answers.

Tree Octopus Sightings - Includes photos of and behavioral research on the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus and other tree octopus species.

Tree Octopus In The Media - appearances of tree octopuses, both real and fictional, in the media and popular culture.

Research On Other Tree Octopus Species:

The author of this article and its subsections is Lyle Zapato.
This site is not associated with any school or educational organization,
other than the Kelvinic University branch of the Wild Haggis Conservation Society.
Not to be confused with the Pacific Northwest Octopus Tree.

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Information about the endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus and what you can do to save it.

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Chosen TOK Theme: Knowledge and Language

Object: Volkswagen "Clean Diesel" Advertisement

The object above is a picture of an advertisement used by the company Volkswagen (VW). This company had the audacity to spread out a claim that they had produced “clean diesel” vehicles, which later turned out to be a complete hoax. As the car company has deceived millions of people, it has filed a lawsuit. (Buisnessinsider.com. 2016)

The example that involves Volkswagen is a special case of false advertising, which further emphasizes why one should consider the original motives of a claim before believing it. The company’s claim of “clean diesel” vehicles was meant to attract potential customers to buy the product. Therefore, it can be concluded that the company has made a completely bogus and misleading claim with the hidden intention of increasing the company’s product sales. Furthermore, a person might realize the ambiguity of the claim. The company does not highlight what makes their “clean diesel” vehicles cleaner than the average diesel car or the competitor’s product. The results of this special case are to make a backed-up guess of the motives behind the claim, as there is a possibility that the claim maker is taking advantage of the claim’s believers.

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/false-advertising-scandals-2016-3#vw-falsely-advertised-environmentally-friendly-diesel-cars-1

-jev

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Theme: Knowledge and Technology

The object above is the iPhone Xs Max, which is also my phone. This object is my day-to-day handheld device which is used for communication, entertainment, and so on. It's also just like your day-to-day phone. Or is it?

I have considered changing my phone after it has been used for more than 5 years now, but it could even be considered unnecessary. This phone will do the same thing as the newer iPhone would do but just in a faster format. The upgrade may even be considered negligible from certain perspectives. Even some people are still using older iPhones and it may not even be the issue for them. It relates to technology as yes, it may be faster, but by how much? If it is only a little bit, then why do I need to change? So yes, the phone is an upgrade, but it isn't that necessary as I consider my phone to be fast enough already.

We can know that knowledge is an improvement through, in this case, how efficient it is, reliable, faster, and many more. An example on how efficient it is, is on how that the phone can improve my life by making things faster, besides that, what is also the effect after that. It shows that the not everything is considered better already, but it may be different due to individual perspectives. But if I were to give this phone to someone who has a worse phone, it may be considered as an upgrade, so there is something higher than the

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Theme: Knowledge and Knower

The chosen object is a PPKN textbook. The textbook is intended to teach students and provide them knowledge about Indonesia's history and also teach them about the nation as a whole.

The author of the book is Indonesian, and this makes sense since the book is about Indonesia's history hence the knowledge presented in this book must also be from someone who knows the country well. However, this presents the issue of bias since the book was written by someone of an Indonesian background. This can alter the truth of the country considering that the author's sense of nationalisme may tailor the information by writing it in a matter where it paints Indonesia as a perfect country despite its flaws and dark history in order to persuade its readers to be proud of their "flawless" country.

Since the author is of Indonesian descent, the information presented in the book may only be information that makes Indonesia look perfect and pure, when in reality external sources shows Indonesia's dark history, struggles, and problematic actions. As a result, readers may have misconceptions which lead the readers to firmly believe that the country is perfect.

This bias is why it is important cross check with other sources, as a textbook which is considered to be non-fiction and objective, may be altered according to the author's beliefs and intentions. In the PPKN textbook, the author intends to paint Indonesia as a strong, perfect country to increase nationalisme amongst the youth.

However, if the book were written by an outsider, the knowledge may not be biased, but it will be limited. Hence, this demonstrates that bias is inevitable and efforts made to avoid it may cause a limitation in the knowledge presented.

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Recently, there has been a rise in local brands producing their own sunscreens, each claiming to have an SPF of 45 PA++++. To convince their customers, these brands often share UV testing claims from laboratories on their social media. However, it's observed that these reports only display the part that indicates the SPF is above 45.

I applied TOK concepts to this experience:

Evidence: In assessing the SPF claims, it's important to consider the completeness of the evidence provided. This brought up the thought of the importance of complete, comprehensive evidence to support claims. In this case, the partial display of the UV testing report raises questions about the reliability and completeness of the evidence presented by the brands.

This experience taught me the importance of considering whether the evidence is good for supporting a claim. The evidence should be reliable and complete to effectively prove whether the claim is true or not. It strengthens the significance of discerning what forms good evidence for a claim so that we are not easily misled by the marketing strategies of certain brands.

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Chosen TOK Theme: Knowledge and Language

Object: UOFT International Undergraduate Admissions Bulletin 2024-2025

The object identified above is a bulletin for all undergraduate students planning to take their bachelor's degree in the University of Toronto. It includes in-depth information on faculties, courses, tuition fees, scholarships, and even dorms. Hence, it contains all that non-Canadians might need when surveying UOFT.

With the immense amount of knowledge in the bulletin, numerous people might highlight certain parts more than others. For example, low to middle class applicants will highlight tuition fees and scholarships opportunities in the bulletin to see if they are still able to apply to UOFT with their limited amount of funds. Other applicants from middle to high class families might view the study life and work opportunities in Canada as they have financial stability and do not need to focus too much on tuition fees.

All mentioned above are forms of knowledge that can be absorbed by readers of this bulletin. But, depending on an individual's background, focus, or priority at a certain time, they will unconsciously put heavier emphasis or importance on certain types of knowledge that is relevant towards their current situation. Hence, the takeaway from the exhibition of this object would be the fact that there are knowledge that are more important than others. Although, this claim or phrase entirely depends on an individual's perspective of a certain situation based on their priorities and needs at a certain point of time.

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SASHA- The 20th Century Civil Rights Movement

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SASHA- The 20th Century Civil Rights Movement

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The Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century transformed established values and beliefs in the United States through legal changes, challenges to segregation, shifts in public opinion, and the promotion of equality and integration. Landmark legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 played a crucial role in dismantling racial segregation and discrimination. Nonviolent protests and demonstrations challenged prevailing beliefs in racial inequality, inspiring a shift in public sentiment. The movement also influenced educational opportunities, economic changes, and became a catalyst for other social justice movements. While significant progress was made, the struggle for racial equality continues, emphasizing the ongoing need for societal change and awareness.

Through this, we can see that with new knowledge on the importance of equal human rights as well as the harmful effects of segregation, the societal values are influenced to change in order to fit into these standards and the view and knowledge of other things in relation to the civil rights movement in the 20th century also changes.

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TOK Theme: Knowledge and Language

Object: Tarot cards

Tarot cards are a deck of playing cards often used for divination and gaining insights into the past, present, or future. Each card in the deck carries symbolic imagery and meanings. Tarot readings involve drawing and interpreting these cards to offer guidance or understanding. The cards are typically categorized into two main groups: the Major Arcana, representing significant life events, and the Minor Arcana, focusing on day-to-day situations. People turn to tarot cards for various reasons, seeking personal reflection, spiritual guidance, or predictions about their lives.

Firstly, the words on tarot cards can be confusing. They use symbols and pictures, making different people see different things. This confusion makes us doubt if we really understand what the cards are trying to say.

Also, the way we see tarot cards depends on where we're from and what we know. In a world with lots of different views, tarot cards might mean one thing to one person and something else to another. This makes us wonder if there's a universal meaning or if it's all just personal.

And then there's the fact that there's no real proof that the predictions on the cards actually happen. In TOK, we usually rely on proof to believe something is true. Without this proof, we start to doubt if the knowledge we get from tarot cards can be trusted.

So, in conclusion, tarot cards make us think about how the way they talk, the symbols they use, and the lack of proof all play a role in making us doubt about what they claim..

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TOK Theme: Knowledge and Technology

Object: Compass

Along with being used for navigation, a compass is often seen as an indicator of direction certainty. Even a compass, which is meant to point in the direction of magnetic north, can get misdirected due to outside factors like magnetic fields and metal objects.

The search for certainty is symbolized by the compass in this way. It is not perfect, but it does offer a dependable sense of direction in many circumstances. Similar to this, we can utilize multiple "compasses" to help us in our search for knowledge, such as reason, logic, and proof, but we always need to be mindful of the possibility that outside forces could mislead us.

The idea is that there are natural constraints and uncertainties that we have to acknowledge, even while we can try to seek certainty in our knowledge. The search for knowledge is defined by a similar balance between certainty within the face of inconsistency, just as a compass can offer direction but not total assurance.