Fact: (objective?) deals with the non-social, non-emotional ‘descriptive’ elements of the world

Truth: (subjective?) deals with more complex, ‘inner’ parts of humanity- truth of feeling, being, etc.

-Could discuss how ‘alternative facts’ challenge the objective reality we seek

-Could discuss the three ‘theories’ of truth - pragmatic, correspondence, coherence 

- ‘truth in Angelou’s sense is closer to narrative than to data

 - 24 hour rolling news channels (eg CNN) offer ‘facts’ (breaking news) but lack context;

The question is about the relationship between facts and truth. 

If we accept that, in order to be a fact, something needs to be true, and in order for something to be true, there need to be facts that support it - why do we still see such a “world of difference” between the two? Human sciences + History

Could truth be considered to be comprised of many small facts? How might these many facts sometimes compete for supremacy? And to what extent might this make a truth more complex and “muddled” than individual facts?

-Euclid’s axioms - mathematical statements that are self-evidently true

-Math invented or discovered? - if it is invented, it is linked to culture. If it is discovered, it is knowledge independent of culture.

-emotional responses to loss or achievement, etc (what we consider loss or achievement - or whatever else - may be cultural, but the fact we respond to it emotionally may be something beyond culture? A function of humanity?)

-communication, art, music- inherent capabilities (haven’t only occurred in one part of the world/one culture- they all look different because of culture)

-power, domination, etc

-that society values it?

-who, exactly, in society must value something for it to be considered ‘highly’ regarded?

Natural Sciences AoK:

-Falsification Principle (Popper) - science tries to prove itself through experimentation (and trying to falsify a claim first) - the most rigorous and self-critical knowledge 

-Quantum physics cannot explain - yet - the fundamental nature of the universe (although it tries to) - in this sense, is quantum physics much like (religious) faith?

-COVID-19 - science needed to prevent mass death, however, an increasing amount of society are rejecting this science- who is regarding this science highly? Who is not? Why not?

-Payscales: scientists < artists (we pay some actors, for example, more than most scientists- does this reveal who we regard more highly?)

-researchers do not make the money. Entrepreneurs - or the “celebrified” faces of the science - the people

 who *use* the science are the ones who are more ‘highly regarded’?

The Arts AoK:

-We see art as a sort of ‘accessory’ to life- however, are we overlooking some sort of more fundamental purpose? I.e. social function, political, historical, cultural -- what is life without art?

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: do we require the knowledge gained from the Natural Sciences more acutely for our survival than knowledge in, say the arts of the human sciences?

History: Colonial powers have historically justified colonisation in terms of bringing (scientific) enlightenment/advancement to ‘underdeveloped countries’ - it has been valued by dominant powers over culture, art, traditional practices, etc 

Narrative thread - which links/connects data

Telling stories, ie. contextualising knowledge - what motivates this and how might those motivations change over time? What makes these AoKs particularly well-suited to telling stories and how do these stories affect how knowledge is accepted/valued?

-Language - What counts as ‘literature’? Who decides? Are our interpretations always guided by the value judgments of important people?

What compels us to distinguish between good and bad interpretations? Is it a social construct (experts, popular opinion)? Can the decision be driven by how useful an interpretation is? (natural sciences) And if so, is this culturally dependent? (again, a social construct)

Economics - pursuit of profit over people and planet

Discuss ‘short termism’? At what point do ends justify means? 

Discuss ethical frameworks/theories eg consequentialism, deontology, utilitarianism,  care ethics

Other frameworks for determining - legal, social codes, religious codes, philosophical, emotional and intuitive. 

Nat Sci - stem cell research and other research which ultimately seeks to extend the human lifespan 

Tech - ‘deepfake’ media (taking the biometrics of a person and using it to create digital versions of them) - this has already happened as a result of not having any boundaries put in place- because the technology was new. Now we are facing the repercussions of it- contributing to the ‘infocalypse’ or breakdown of reliable info

-Are ethical grounds often considered in hindsight? Once we have already crossed the boundary? - experiments on prisoners/captives

-The Arts- ‘Take the Money and Run’ - Danish artist commissioned $80,000 for artwork left two blank canvases for the museum as a political statement. The artist maintains they have done nothing wrong- they have ‘created’ political art. Meanwhile, the museum is pressing charges for ‘unethical’/misleading/unfair exchange. -- How do we determine the boundaries of ‘ethical art’. If something (like a blank canvas in exchange for $80,000) sparks political discussion, has it served its purpose? Or, is this kind of exchange ‘wrong’?

Counter claim: yes ;
Natural sciences:  structure of an atom
Dna structure