Conflict and peace by

An FT article, arguing that art can help us overcome division and conflict by helping us to focus on what we all have in common.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 08:51:38 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE How did an experience in Berlin make Enuma Okoro reflect on a question that has ‘interested her almost obsessively’? What characterizes American artist Jenny Holzer’s work, and how does it make us reflect on our similarities with others? How does the work of Dali and Dadi explore the theme of finding common ground with others? To wrap up: How can art give us “a sense of our shared humanity”, and is this its most important purpose?

KEY TERMS Emotional respite, Cultural differences vs. shared humanity, Fellow human beings, Dualistic thinking, Common ground

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A Conversation article, questioning the popular perception of Buddhism as a religion devoted solely to peace.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 08:53:26 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Are students surprised by its links to violence - such as the large number of Buddhists in the British army? How has our understanding of Buddhism been shaped by colonization and the ‘framing’ of its identity? Thinking more broadly, is our understanding and awareness of world religions based on image or reality? Is this a problem - and if so, how can we overcome it?

KEY TERMS Reputation, Framing, Stereotype, Generalisations

A New Humanist article, exploring the implications of voters in a democracy “getting it wrong”.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 08:59:37 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Do we understand politics more objectively if we accept the concept of ‘false consciousness’?

KEY TERMS Propaganda and outright deception, Irrational, Truths, False consciousness, Power, Systematic falsehoods, Explanation

A Guardian article, examining how AI is impacting on democracy in both positive and negative ways.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 08:59:43 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE How is AI affecting the way we interact with democracy?

KEY TERMS Truth and trust, Information ecosystems, Verified information, Facilitate dialogue, Incentives, Distrusted information

A Conversation article, exploring what it means that the Doomsday Clock is at 90 seconds to midnight.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:00:05 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What is the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, and why was it set up? What determines the position of the hands on the Doomsday Clock? What does the article mean when it says the Clock doesn’t represent an objective risk assessment, it represents a ‘vibe’? To wrap up: How should we measure and express existential threats to humanity?

KEY TERMS Visual metaphor, Sense of urgency, Vibe, Powerful image, Subjective, Inspire

A CNN article, asserting that Xi Jinping is rewriting history in order to consolidate his own position as leader of China.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:02:52 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE A good starting point (of course) is the Orwell quote at the end of the article - "Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past." This is sometimes difficult to make sense of, so what does it mean, and can students think of any examples? Then move onto the article - how does this align to Orwell’s words? What does it reveal about the relationship between politics and history, and the manipulation of the latter by those involved in the former? What challenges does this indicate for those seeking the truth about the past? Check out this article from the New Yorker, looking at the same issue.

Key terms Curated, Control over narratives

This Guardian article considers how denial about the facts of the Srebrenica massacre are gaining ground.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:03:07 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Why, first of all, are some people trying to create a ‘new historical reality’ about what happened? Should such accounts be ‘cancelled’? To what extent are the divided politics responsible for the way this event is viewed and understood? Bigger questions that we might arrive at include, can we ever access the truth about the past? Or is history always subject to bias?

Key terms Truth, Biased, Fabricated myth, New historical reality, Cancel culture, Divided politics

A History Today article, looking at how the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is as much about the past as it is about the present.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:03:14 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What does the article reveal about the close relationship between the two countries, and does that help clarify what’s going on? How far back do we need to go to understand a conflict? Does history only ever serve as a way of justifying contemporary agendas and points-of-view, or can it be used to provide an objective view of the present? Finally, what does Emmerson mean when he says, “history can be a kind of territory” - and how does this relate to both the current crisis, and other conflicts going on around the world?

Key terms Perceptions of history, Gospel truth, Historical perspective, Narrative, Contested, Justify, Emotional resonance, Legitimacy

A Conversation article, examining the history behind Russia’s claim that they have entered Ukraine in order to rid it of Nazism.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:03:22 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What claims have been made to justify the invasion of Ukraine? How do these stand up to historical scrutiny? What else do we learn about the present conflict by looking at the past? What role does the selection of evidence play in our understanding of the past? Do students think that it is possible to understand politics and current events without a full understanding of history?

Key terms Justifies, Selective telling of the past

An Atlantic article, exploring the extent to which strong leaders misuse history to consolidate their positions of power.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:03:28 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Which examples does it give of leaders retelling the past in order to serve a current agenda? How credible are their versions of history? What methods do they use to control our understanding of the past? Why does the author draw on George Orwell when discussing these examples? As an extension, what further examples could students find of reconstructing historical narratives (perhaps from cultures and societies not controlled by autocrats)? Overall, how do students feel we can protect the truth about the past - or do they feel that such a thing does not exist?

Key terms False retelling, Autocratic rewriting of history, Historical nihilism, Credible, Absurd fiction, Official account, Truth

A Project Syndicate article by Ian Buruma, exploring the ‘history trap’ of using lazy parallels to understand the past.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:03:37 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Why is historical manipulation particularly common at the moment? To what extent are all sides responsible? What are the pros and cons of ‘detecting historical parallels’ in order to understand the world? What is the significance of the two quotes in the article, by George Santayana and LP Hartley? Overall, how can being aware that things never repeat themselves in the same way help us to avoid falling into the ‘history trap’?

Key terms History trap, Malicious distortion of history, Lazy parallels, Exploited and manipulated, Wrong conclusions, Ignorance

A Guardian article, reporting that Lima’s mayor has shut a museum that promoted toleration and forgiveness of Peru’s violent past.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:03:55 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What has happened in Lima, and in what way is it part of a cultural battle going on in both Peru and other countries? What does this story reveal about the way our political (and religious) standpoints inform the way we interpret history? Should we try to rebalance this effect? Overall, offer students this quote: “Historical memory is a fundamental value of all democracies” What does this mean, and do you agree? Support your answer with reference to this or another example.

KEY TERMS Dialogue and reconciliation, Denial, False narrative, cultural battles, Power, Historical memory

A Big Think article and podcast, looking at how political partisanship can affect our ability to remember things accurately.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:09:05 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Why does it argue that “memory is a tricky thing” and what examples does it give to support this? How does the phenomenon of false memories occur, and what relationship does this have with our cognitive ability - and how are we sometimes vulnerable to ‘pseudo-profound bullshit’? What effect can political partisanship have on our capability to recall past events objectively? Overall, do we need to escape our political affiliations in order to ensure our memory functions accurately?

Key terms False memories, Cognitive ability, Pseudo-profound bullshit, Partisanship

A Conversation article, contending that Socrates’s approach to wisdom can help reduce the negative effects of political polarization.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:09:22 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Is humility the most essential step in the search for truth?

KEY TERMS Polarized deadlock, Epistemic humility, Dangerous, Power holders, Certainty, Absolute truth, Open to being wrong

An LA Times article, looking at how the LA Museum of the Holocaust is changing its name, and developing a clearer mission in order to fight hatred and intolerance.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:10:28 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE How does the way ideas are communicated change our perception of them? What is more important: the message, or the way it is conveyed?

Key terms Rebranding, Universal gesture of communication

A Conversation article, looking at why descendants of Holocaust victims are increasingly replicating Auschwitz tattoos.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:10:46 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What is the history of tattooing at Auschwitz? Why are many descendants of Holocaust victims choosing to tattoo the numbers their families were forcibly tattooed with at Auschwitz? How significant is it that the last of the ‘numbered people’ will soon no longer be with us? To wrap up: How can ‘embodied memorialization’ help to breach the silence that can affect us as a result of a traumatic past?

KEY TERMS Spark conversation, Identity, Legacy, Roots, Embodied memorialization, Independent meaning, Keeping the memory alive, Dehumanizing, Living memory, Language of the body

A Vice interview, with the social media manager of Auschwitz, on visitor selfies, dealing with trauma, and learning from history.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:10:53 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What general comments does Paweł Sawicki make about the people who visit Auschwitz, and the images they create? How important is social media in the work that Paweł Sawicki does, and what does this indicate about its role in helping us understand the past? What are his thoughts on moderation? How does he and the Auschwitz memorial seek to re-humanise the victims of the Holocaust? To wrap up: What are the challenges of using social media to understand and commemorate traumatic events from the past, and what are our personal responsibilities in overcoming them?

KEY TERMS Responsible, Visual expression of our time, Disrespectful, Moderation, Re-humanise

A BBC article, looking at how emojis are being used to avoid the increasingly restrictive censorship laws introduced in Russia.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:12:02 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE How are Russians using emojis, and other coded phrases to communicate their resistance to the war? What does this indicate about the inherent meaning of words, and how they can be substituted for other representations of concepts and ideas? What does this reveal about the relationship between power and language?

Key terms Coded phrases, Self-censor

A Guardian article, exploring the differing responses to the invasion of Ukraine, and what motivates them, from countries all over the world.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:12:08 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE The invasion of Ukraine has provoked incredibly strong reactions from those of us witnessing the distressing events. One assumption many of us make is that those reactions are shared by everyone - and we view events from the same moral and political perspective. How does this article refute that idea? What reasons do countries have for not taking a stance against the invasion? Does this support the idea that morality is relative to cultural (and political) context? Which force shapes a country and its people more - politics or ethics?

Key terms Geopolitical, Pseudo-leftists, Multipolarity, Holiday from history

An Atlantic article, which looks at the way in which the invasion has revealed that many of our political and historical assumptions about Europe and the world were completely misguided and inaccurate.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:12:17 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE Anne Applebaum is a highly respected journalist and historian, and here offers us a clear analysis of the paradigm shift in Europe as a result of the invasion. How has it changed the way Europeans see themselves, and the political structures that hold them together? In what way has a dissonance between academic realities and actual realities been revealed? How do political crises change our ‘collective imagination’ about ourselves? What does this event highlight about where we should seek out our information about the world?

Key terms Assumptions, Shifts, Illusions, Definition of itself, Collective imagination, Alternative information

A Wired article, looking at the use of TikTok during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:12:23 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE How does the article summarize the essential characteristics of each big social media platform - and what are the implications of each of these in terms of their ability to provide us with information about the Russian invasion? Why has TikTok become such a popular platform by people sharing accounts of what’s going on? What are the pros and cons of relying on the platform to find out the truth - consider the comparative rate at which fake and reliable news travels on social media? How has TikTok tried to ensure it conveys objective information, and how successful has it been? Why does scale present problems for social media platforms such as TikTok?

Key terms Visual, Instant, Firehose, Fact-checking, Distorted news, Collectively, Weaponized

A History Today article, looking at how the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is as much about the past as it is about the present.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:12:34 UTC

A Moscow Times report on how the words ‘war’ and ‘invasion’ have been banned by the Russian authorities.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:12:41 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE This story highlights the power of language, how authoritarian states seek to control it, and whether a concept can exist without the words to signify it. Which words has the Russian government outlawed, and how does this relate to events in Ukraine and Europe? Do students feel that suppressing a word also suppresses the idea that is associated with it (much like what happens in Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four)? What other words might be under threat by this, and other, regimes?

Key terms Unreliable, Untrue, Reliable, Official

A BBC article, looking at the very different version of the Ukrainian invasion being broadcast on Russian state TV.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:12:46 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE The historian EH Carr once said, ‘Study the historian before you study the facts’. If we apply this to Russian state TV - and look at the source of the information, before we even consider what they are saying - what insights do we gain? How does power corrupt our ability to tell the truth? Is ‘independent reporting’ always more reliable? How important is it to have an objective understanding of historical context in order to understand contemporary events? Can the truth exist in societies where the media is subject to oppression and fear?

Key terms Fake, Manipulations, Emotive language, True information, Independent reporting

A DW article, exploring what ‘compassion fatigue’ is, and how it can shape the way we view the world.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:12:56 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What research did Brad Bushman carry out, what were his results, and how convincing do you find his evidence? What does the work of Yasmin Aldamen reveal about the role language plays in desensitization? How can social media affect (in both a negative and positive way) compassion fatigue? Overall, to what extent is it our responsibility to resist compassion fatigue in order to properly understand and interact with what’s going on in the world? How best can this be done?

Key terms Compassion fatigue, Overexposure, Empathy, Unstable emotion, Desensitize, Humanistic perspective

A Guardian article, looking at how a property in Sweden with a Cold War-era nuclear bunker is generating a lot of interest amongst house-buyers.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-04 09:25:12 UTC

A Guardian article, which suggests that the arts provide us with more insight into what’s going on in Ukraine than usual news bulletins.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-14 15:17:25 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What don’t the news headlines tell us about the war in Ukraine? What insights can we gain by looking at the work of Ukrainian artists, writers, playwrights and filmmakers? How does Charlotte Higgins challenge the idea that art is “less immediate and instructive” than the news? Students can also check out this poem published in Sapiens, in which poet-anthropologist Josh Yarden attempts to bridge social and geopolitical divides via the arts. To wrap up: “Human “reality” does not consist only in the external world going about its rational business, but in our imaginations.” (Deborah Levy) Do you agree that to fully understand reality, we need to consult artistic as well as news sources?

KEY TERMS Homes and hearts, Behind the lines, Immediate and instructive, Witness to experience

A Guardian article, looking at how water is being used as a weapon of war - and why that means cooperation is more important than ever.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-29 07:54:20 UTC

A Politico article, looking at the dangers of water conflict in the EU.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-29 07:54:31 UTC

A Foreign Policy article, investigating the risk of conflict in Central Asia over water scarcity.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-03-29 07:54:37 UTC

A BBC Future article, looking at how we become desensitized to awful events in the news, and how to avoid this happening.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-04-12 07:12:46 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What is ‘habituation’, and why does the article argue it can be harmful to us as we try to make sense of world events? What different forms can habituation take? How could political leaders take advantage of habituation? To wrap up: What are our personal responsibilities when it comes to resisting the normalization of violence and conflict?

KEY TERMS Habituation, Lead the news, Novelty, Zoom out, Longer term, Slow violence vs. slow resistance

An amNY article, reporting on a new immersive exhibition in New York that recreates the 7 October 2023 attack on the Israeli music festival.

theory_of_knowledge — 2024-05-02 13:08:05 UTC

UNPACKING THE SOURCE What does the Nova Music Festival Exhibition explore, and how does it do this? What can immersive experiences like this provide us with that other forms of presenting information fail to do? What do you think the exhibition organizer, Scooter Braun, means when he refers to the exhibition inviting us to ‘responsibly explore’ what happened? If you were designing an exhibition for Palestinians affected by the conflict, what artifacts would you include within it? To wrap up: How can art help to bring about rehabilitation after traumatic events?

KEY TERMS Remembrance, Empower, Responsibly explore, Rehabilitation

theory_of_knowledge — 2026-06-08 10:11:06 UTC

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