Friday, November 1, 2013
Will Knowledge Fit in a Juicer?
Let us go then, you and I, when the knowledge is spread out against the sky, like a patient etherized upon a table...Sorry. English teacher flashback. Our discussion, yesterday, of Bohm's and Dillard's musings on memory, time, knowledge, and creation, led to many fruitful questions about the nature of thought and originality. As we also began to explore, these questions can operate with equal alacrity in numerous areas of knowledge. This is the nature of the Knowledge Question (née Knowledge Issue). For this post, please read this guide to Knowledge Issue Extraction, brought to you by the enigmatic Mr. Hoye. Focus your reading and understanding on the descriptions and examples of progressively better and more useful Knowledge Issues. That done, please select and read an article from either 3 Quarks Daily or Arts & Letters Daily (links to both are found on the right). From that article, extract two Knowledge Questions (yes, we're using these terms interchangeably): one bad and one good. In your post, explain what makes the bad KQ bad and the good KQ good. Please also include a link to the article you select. These are due Monday before 9:30 pm.
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Okay, so first of all the article I picked out was extremely thought provoking and pretty difficult (read: I wanted to bang my head on the table) to read. I say that in the best way possible. But seriously, check it out! http://www.bostonreview.net/poetry/archambeau-auden
ReplyDeleteMy first knowledge question is Why do humans feel the need to study and extract the simplicity of nature in search of something that we can then emulate within ourselves? Why does it make us sentimental to feel complex and why aren't we be simple? Basically what I'm trying to ask is Why are humans, who are made of the non-human "other", as complex and than as sentimental as we are about the simplicity of nature? Why does it even matter? Why can't we just decide to be simple and then follow naturally as the world takes us? Is there something within us that blocks our natural instincts, forcing us too be complex and making us forget how to be simple?
Okay so I apologize. I tried to simplify my question and made it that much more complicated. I think this is a good knowledge question because it delves into a realm that cannot be solved using reason but instead explores the ways that we think about our lives and the changes we might be able to make, or might not be able to make.
A bad knowledge question would be Why do poets personify nature while writing?
This question has a very weak base as a knowledge question, as well as a concrete answer to it if you think hard enough about it. Questions with answers aren't good enough; they don't teach you anything (in this context) and they don't lead deeply enough into the realms of thought which the famous philosophers could hardly wrap their minds around. There are always going to be things we don't know. That is an absolute statement which I firmly believe. However, what makes a good knowledge question is one that explores what we don't know and recognizes that we may never know the answer to said question.
Why does it make us feel sentimental to feel complex and why aren't we be simple? This is a really bad knowledge question for several reasons. It doesn't actually ask about knowledge, nor does it have answers which are relevant to specific moments of knowing, and it also doesn't really lead us to explore either ways of knowing or other things. Also, in that entire paragraph of knowledge questions, I kind of made everything more complicated than it needed to be. I just needed one question, although its not terrible that more questions were produced.
DeleteMy new question: To what extent does emotion make knowledge complex?
The article I chose is a very popular issue that is facing today's society http://www.eurozine.com/articles/2013-10-22-beja-en.html. My bad knowledge question for this article is ; Will the issue of women becoming dominant in the work place continue to be a threat to men in growing societies ? The reason I considered this to be a bad knowledge question is because it is a weak knowledge issue. There is a clear cut answer to this question depending on the side it is being argued from .It is a simple question that can be debated and requires little or few knowledge extraction methods. This question can be answered with a simple yes or no.
ReplyDeleteMy good knowledge question is ;To what extent should work be characterized based on capital ? I considered this as being a good knowledge question because their is honestly no definite or clear cut answer to this question. It depends on how the reader interprets the question and how they define work. As mentioned in previous classes there is no true definition for a subject, it depends on perspective. I define work as the amount of energy used to gain output. If I pick apples from a tree and gain 4 baskets of apples I have worked, Why aren't men threatened by me ? If I wash a car and gain $300 and a male washes 6 cars and gains $150, Why would my work threaten him based on my capital gained if he put out more energy to gain greater output? This question can be put under deep consideration and analysed in so many ways. It allows you to think and use words such as ; what if, if then and why then should we/ should we not , to evolve into new questions from one question.
For this post, my good knowledge question is what I would currently call a horrible knowledge question due to my development in writing knowledge questions. To what extent should work be characterized based on capital ? Firstly the main reason why this is a bad knowledge question is because it has no relation or reference to knowledge, ways of knowing or areas of knowledge? Yes, the question can be answered from different perspectives, but in that case it would just be a normal question and not one alluding to knowledge, hence the name “knowledge question.” If I was to recreate this post centered around how the value of work is characterised by capital but transpose it to knowledge I would say “To what extent can different perspectives characterise the knowledge on a subject and influence its value?” This is a better knowledge question because not only does it relate to knowledge but for example the specific situation with the knowledge of work characterising capital can be related to the knowledge question. Therefor it shows how the knowledge question is being transposed and it can also use ways of knowing when wanting to develop the different perspectives and can also be transposed to different areas of knowledge.
Deletehttp://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2013/11/evolution-in-action-.html
ReplyDeleteThis article talks about a photographer, Patrick Gries, who took thousand of pictures of skeletons of species lived in different time periods. Gries used many artificial ways which made the pictures became artistic works. The pictures provoke the question: what is the boundary between artistic and scientific objects? “Spectacular, mysterious, elegant, or grotesque, vertebrate skeletons are objects of art, while they carry within them the traces of several billion years of evolution” (3quarksdaily.com).
Bad Knowledge Question: What is evolution?
This question is really concrete that there is a correct answer to it. People are able to learn this from any biology classes. There would not be two sides of the case because it is not a yes or no debate style question. The question is closely tied to the real life situation which is the questions brought out by the picture of skeletons. To answer this question, it does not require any knowledge beyond this situation.
Good Knowledge Question: How do humans draw connection between two ideas?
Firstly, I want to explain my question. The pictures of Gries showed the beauty of the skeletons so that they were like artworks. However, these skeletons bearing the traces of several billion years of evolution on earth. The skeletons are seen as both scientific and artistic objects. People have two different ideas towards one kind of object.
The reason of that it is a good Knowledge Question is that this question is no longer related to the real life situation. The question is open ended that there is no answer to it. This question can be asked not only in biology or science, but also in many other fields.
Good knowledge questions:
DeleteBogel: To what extent can perspective alter the nature of an object?
Qianqian: How can different ways of knowing change the nature o an object?
http://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2013/11/the-american-mommy-wars.html
ReplyDeleteThis article talks about a few of the issues women face as they try to embark in the professional world. It also gives some feminist opinions of women's progress in in the Labor force. It also highlights the fact that women in this culture, seldomly have a choice between work and family as they usually have to work in order to support their family.
A bad or weak knowledge question relating to this article is: Why are women fighting for more advancement in the professional world? This question is a weak knowledge question because it is very vague to start with. While this question might lead to some thinking direct and factual answers could be given such as because men and women doing the same jobs still receive unequal pays. This question is not very open to discussion or serious thought about knowledge therefore it is a bad knowledge question.
An example of a good knowledge question is: Are women really having it all when they decide to have an advanced professional career and a family or is it just a mirage success and happiness? This question is a better knowledge question as it is specific enough to encourage thoughts along the same line but open enough for many opinions and thoughts. while women are considered to have it all when the have sophisticated jobs and a family, it can sometimes be a downfall as their lives can end up being very busy and consumed and one thing usually the family starts to suffer. Will a female who aims to achieve both these things in life be truly happy. What’s the point in being successful if one isn't happy. It can also be examined from this perspective. If men are strong enough to have a professional career and still have a family, Why can't women do the same? Trying to answer this example of a good knowledge question has already led to many internal debates and thought provoking questions, thus it is an example of a good knowledge question.
“Are women really having it all when they decide to have an advanced professional career and a family or is it just a mirage success and happiness?”
DeleteThis is a bad example of a knowledge question because it is not about knowledge. It also could not have been transposed to another situation or moment. A better knowledge question for this situation is, is it possible to live a meaningful life without true knowledge of oneself? This is a better knowledge question because it is about knowledge and could be transposed in another situation. It is also not too narrow or broad of a question.
http://www.aeonmagazine.com/being-human/regret-is-essential-to-the-good-life/
ReplyDeleteCarina Chocano talks about regrets and the nature of why regrets happen. The article is dense in questions of regret and ideas of regret.
Good knowledge Question: Why do humans have the feel the feeling of regret?
The question ‘Why do humans have the feeling of regret?’ is a good knowledge question because it makes you think about different ways and ideas to answer this question. In this question there are multiple questions, such as what regrets do I have?, What made me feel that way? How do I know I regret what I do?. Possibles answers can go in the route of science, faith (religion), personal ideas, culture, etc. The question has different answers that can all be correct at the same time. It also makes you think about your own life and regrets that you may have and what cause you to regret what you do. It is a broad and vague question that can be interpreted in different ways by different people.
Bad knowledge Question: Do humans feel regret?
The question ‘Do humans feel regret?” is not a very good knowledge question because it has a yes or no answer. This question does not have a broad background for one to use to answer the question. The question also has two different answers, which does not provide enough of what the person who is answering is thinking. It is also a debate style question. This question can also be seen as only a science question. The question is too straightforward, there is no wiggle room for thoughts to come through.
This knowledge question is not the best because it has nothing to do with knowledge. Asking why humans have the emotion of regret is talking about the emotion itself and why humans get this emotion, not about the knowledge of the emotion. The question does make you think in a series of different direction but there is no sign of Knowledge in the questions. KQ should inquire about the knowledge of something not necessarily the reason for the factor that you are inquiring about. A better knowledge question would be ‘How do humans use the knowledge of the emotion regret to inquire about the knowledge of themselves?’ BAM! This KQ is better than the last because it is actually about the knowledge of self knowledge and the knowledge of regret. Answers to this could go in different directions. The question is broad and specific so that it can be interpreted in different ways.
Deletehttp://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-02/11/ibm-watson-medical-doctor/viewall
ReplyDeleteThe article is talking about IBM's Watson, which I knew from a TV show Jeopardy and beat the best human champions, now can be used in medical diagnosis. It has higher successful diagnosis rate, more efficiency and cheaper than human doctor.
My bad knowledge question is "Does IBM's Watson has more benefits than risks on medical science". I consider this as a bad knowledge question, because people can hold their own opinion and have a debate about it. Some can argue that it pushing the development of medical science from a wide view. Some can believe that if the medical accident happen on any individual that human doctor can avoid it from a moral view. This question leads people to think about IBM's Watson's effectiveness facially. Therefore, it is a weak question.
My good knowledge question is "In what way people realize if they bring all potentialities into full play". I am amazed by the invention of IBM's Watson, which created by human but can do better jobs than human. This is a good question, which leads people to think about their great potentialities. How they define and explore their potentialities. It brings a deep thinking to people.
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2013/oct/24/dante-most-vivid-version/?pagination=false The article that I read was written about the different versions of interpretations and extensions of Dante’s The Divine Comedy. The author is inspired to write this after Dan Brown’s new novel Inferno comes out. The author first compares two famous, translated versions of Dante’s Divine Comedy, and discusses which interpreter painted a more vivid translation of the poem. That discussion inspired my extraction of a good knowledge question: How does language, as a way of knowing distort knowledge? I think that this is a good knowledge question because it explores the nature of knowledge, the connection between the WOK and an AOK, in an open-ended question, which has no definite way of answering. Dante, before he physically wrote the poem, had to think about what he wanted to write about, then, the thought had to be translated into language, Italian specifically. The work then had to be interpreted into several different languages, and although these translations all come from the same thought, there is something different in each work of translation. What was lost or added in translation?
ReplyDeleteA bad knowledge question is: Why did Dante write The Divine Comedy, where did his inspiration come from? This is a bad knowledge question because although it is an open-ended question, it is too close to the original situation, and it does not explore knowledge.
bad KQ: Why did Dante write The Divine Comedy, where did his inspiration come from? This knowledge question is a bad knowledge question because it has nothing to do with knowledge, and it is not very applicable to other areas of knowledge. I think that the answer to this question is that his inspiration came partly from his previous knowledge about the seven layers of hell, and also from his imagination. Therefore, a better knowledge question would be: to what extent does imagination qualify as a way of knowing?
DeleteThis is a better knowledge question because it specifically questions a way of knowing, and is general enough to be transposed to all the areas of knowledge.
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v35/n19/jenny-diski/on-knickers
ReplyDeleteIn the article by Jenny Diski, On Knickers, Diski describes and explains the history of undergarments. She goes into analyzing history and how a woman’s body was expected to look then (with the help of a corset) and what it is supposed to look like now. Essentially, the look aren’t drastically different-however, the process of achieving that look has changed. Instead of using a corset to squeeze everything from the bottom up, in 2013 we use plastic surgery or dieting pills. Diski also goes into exploring the topic of consumerism and the ideology of desire within the human mind: “Human beings have never been happy with what they’ve got. We reshape the world, construct machines and contraptions of every kind to alter and control it.” I cold-heartedly agree with this statement. There is never a moment when we as human being aren’t buying, producing, inventing, or selling something new and improved…for example the iPad air….(I mean…seriously?!).
After reading this article I came up with a good knowledge question and a bad knowledge question:
Good KQ: “How as human beings do we reshape the world for better or for worse?” This is a good KQ, for it can answer several sub-questions, or even, go into quite a few directions. Everyone has an individual opinion on how humans affect the world. For example, some may think that continuous expansion is just what we need. (oh no! Keep bringing the pointless Apple products! ..too far?). So one might answer with that opinion. Whereas someone might explain their understanding of how humans negatively reshape the world; describing their personal examples and opinions. This question allows us as individuals to explore our unique opinions, and elaborate and prove our perspective on the world.
Bad KQ: “Is Diski right by saying humans reshape the world in order to benefit themselves and gain control over it?” This is a bad KQ firstly because it opens the option for a simple ‘yes or no’ question. Secondly, this is a very specific question, which does not allow one to pursue their unique perspective in a boarder way. When compared to the first KQ, it does not grant the person answering the freedom to adapt an answer that goes beyond the actual question.
NEW GOOD KNOWLEDGE QUESTION: How does new knowledge change previously acquired knowledge/perspective
DeleteThis KQ is a good because it can be transposed to various situations. It can be interpreted to many areas of knowledge and ways of knowing.
Tonight, I read the article http://www.3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2013/11/ibms-watson-is-better-at-diagnosing-cancer-than-human-doctors.html, which informed me about a machine that has a higher rate of successfully diagnosing cancer in patients, then when a doctor diagnoses them. This made me think about how much we let technology into our lives, and how much we should let it control and influence our decisions.
ReplyDeleteBad Knowledge Question: Will humans, or technology find the cure for cancer faster? This is a bad question because it's hard to argue. Because it's in the future, and medicine and technology is constantly changing, this question is hard in the way that finding examples to back up your point would be a struggle. It is also not related to how humans use knowledge, or knowledge at all. It's just a question of who will find the answer first.
My article also said that to be up to date on medical knowledge, it would take 160 hours a week of reading. This made me think of my good knowledge Question. How does the Human Brain decide what thoughts and ideas to commit to long term memory, and to what extent to these Ideas have an impact on what else Humans remember? I like this question because it explores the human brain and it's past experiences and how they influence it. Different people could have different reasons, such as the information was interesting, it was presented in a loud manner, or it was presented in a stressful situation. I think this question explores a really cool cause and effect situation that I would like to know more about.
Hi there. Wow. How does the Human Brain decide what thoughts and ideas to commit to long term memory, and to what extend "to" these ideas have an impact on what else humans remember? First of all, check your grammar. Please. And then check it again. Okay, let's dive right in here. This is a pretty rough question. I can see why you would think it is a knowledge question, you are young and inexperienced and you mention memory which is a kind of knowledge. Okay. However, the first part of this isn't even a knowledge question, it's a science question. Google it. Secondly, the second part isn't really a knowledge question either. It's still kind of a science question. Yes it has the words "to what extent" and I think this is why you thought it was good. It's not. It's transposable from person to person, but then again it's almost impossible to get this information. Also you have unnecessary words making the question confusing and messy, kind of like your room. Let's brainstorm a different one. We can go off of your theme of priotirty knowledge and craft this knowledge question: Are there areas of knowledge where can humans assign more worth to knowledge than others? This is completely transposable because it can be explored within all ways of knowing and and areas of knowledge. It's also not incredibly broad. Don't worry, it takes work to be this perfect.
Deletehttp://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/520446/the-decline-of-wikipedia/
ReplyDeleteThe article that I chose is called “The Decline of Wikipedia” by, Tom Simonite. The article discusses Wikipedia and its role as very commonly used encyclopedia of our time. It states a lot of data and facts about Wikipedia, a lot of which has to do with its decline.
One of the main issues that the article mentions is, will the decline of the number of ‘professional’ editors for wikipedia be the downfall of the website? I think that this is on the bad side of KQs because it is very debatable and answers would be very opinion based and also not have very much depth. There is also no definite answer; of course with great questions there will always be arguable sides, however this question is asking for an answer that predicts the future, which makes it not a great question.
Another main issue is, is it conceivable for Wikipedia’s future to depend on the possibility that there may be enough people that still believe in the notion of online collaboration for the greater good? I think that this KQ is on the better side of KQs. It is thought provoking and also requires facts, but still leaves room for interpretation. The question is more open and there could be many valid answers. This question also steers a bit away from the original topic, it brings in the factor that ‘people that still believe in the notion of online collaboration for the greater good’ could possibly save Wikipedia.
“is it conceivable for Wikipedia’s future to depend on the possibility that there may be enough people that still believe in the notion of online collaboration for the greater good?”
DeleteThis knowledge question is bad because it is very specific and can not be applied to any other situations. It also just wordy and hard to understand. Overall, this is more of the type of question that one would see when being asked to analyze a specific passage of reading, rather than extracting a question that could be applied to other aspects of knowledge.
A better knowledge question to suit this situation is: To what extent do the perspectives of different knowers affect collaboration?
I think that this is a better knowledge question because it is not a specific and can be applied to other situations; it is transposable. However, although it is more general, it still connects to the topic that it was extracted from.
The article that I chose is called Why Why We Argue? It is about logic and politics. In this article, the author explains how in politics, we try to reason and be logical in our reasoning, but unfortunately this does not always happen because as human beings, our ‘logic’ is not logical at all when it comes to politics. On the topic of the book based on these thinkings-Why We Argue (and How We Should), one person even commented ‘The book’s about logic and politics? It’ll be a mighty short book!’ The most important ideas expressed in this post are that
ReplyDelete1.We as humans aspire to be logical in our reasoning, but to do that, we must rely on the reasoning of others.
2.Others who reason poorly affect individuals’ reasoning
3. The main goal is for everyone to be able to reason well
4.To have a sucessful demrocratic government means that there must be good reasoning.
One bad knowledge question that I extracted from my reading is’ Will logic and reasoning ever be unessential to politics?’ THis is a weak knowledge question because it is a debate- styled question. The knower will either answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to this question, with arguments to back it up. This question also does not have a strong level of depth to it. A good knowledge question that I extracted for the reading is ‘In what way is perfect reasoning ever expressed?’ This is a good knowledge question because it is debatable, yet there is not much fact that can back it up. This question is very broad and can be directed in many different ways. It did not stay specific to the ideas expressed in this topic, but it broadened to encompass many ideas in different situations.
http://www.whyweargue.com/2013/10/why-why-we-argue.html
‘In what way is perfect reasoning ever expressed?’
DeleteThis ‘good knowledge question’ is in fact, a bad knowledge question. Although I claim that it is good because “it is debatable, yet there is not much fact that can back it up” , there should be facts to back up this question. First off, this question is not about knowledge. It doesn't refer to knowledge at any point, therefore it cannot be a knowledge question. I think that what I was thinking about while making this question was if there is such thing as perfect reasoning. I was really wondering if the meaning of the human term ‘perfect reasoning’ differs from person to person, and to what extent does it differ if it does. So, the better knowledge question from this is “To what extent does perspective of different knowers change the meaning of the term ‘perfect reasoning?” This is a good knowledge question because it is transposable to different situations, and Areas of Knowledge. Reasoning can be used in various areas such as math, and reading.
The article I chose to read was about a famous author many of us probably know of, named Harper Lee (or author of To Kill a Mockingbird): http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/01/harper-lee-monroeville-museum-lawsuit-mockingbird?CMP=twt_gu. To provide a quick summary, this article was about this great author who has deteriorating health, and is creating lawsuits against a local library of her hometown. She claims they are exploiting her fame, as she is a woman who would rather be out of the spotlight.
ReplyDeleteMy bad Knowledge Question I have extracted from this article is: Can Lee’s hometown create a compromise on the problem at hand: eliminating the need for
a lawsuit while satisfying the pleads of the 80+ year old author? This is a bad Knowledge Question because as the Knowledge Issue article stated, weak knowledge questions tend to be factual, or very closely related to the topic. There is little room for any answers besides yes or no and the evidence to back it up. By asking can something happen, I am not inquiring about the knowledge of the issue or allowing the use of different perspectives; it is solely a question based on one’s opinion from the article and the information given.
My better Knowledge Question is: To what extent do local communities or territories made famous by works of art (either literature or a form of visual art etc), have the right to exploit its publicizer without consent? This question can have more than one perspective, because one may argue any extent to which exploitation is acceptable. This is the conflict in the article: the public and the author have great disagreements. This question allows for the use of knowledge to consider different aspects that may contradict or alter a person’s set idea on the subject.
My better knowledge question is not a good example of a knowledge question because for one, it did not include any aspects of knowledge or focus on the knowers. Also, it is very specific, which makes it difficult to be transposed into other situations that are not of similar culture. To improve this knowledge question, I could probably alter it so that it can be more general and also focus on knowledge. A better knowledge question may be: How can knowers' conflicting perspectives on a matter affect the future knowledge of others. This knowledge question seems to be a better one because it is more vague while still applying to the original situation. This question also gives room for knower's to put themselves into the shoes of the knowers in the question and be able to transpose the question to other situation. I think this is a better knowledge question because it is more vague and is focused on a broader perspective however I wonder if in the future I could improve this question in other ways.
DeleteThis is totally confusing, Just check it out, it is also interesting to know. I guarantee you that you will have hard time in understanding this incredible research in this article. (It took me long to understand)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/515981/repairing-bad-memories/
This article explains how memories can be repaired and controlled. The research made by Daniela Schiller and other mind researchers argues on how one can control the outcome of her emotions that are caused by his/her traumatic memories.
Bad Question: Does the content of your emotional memory remain the same when you affect your emotional memory?
Yes, this is a dumb question because I believe that you can not affect your emotional memory if you do not recall it. In order for you to change the emotions you had over something bad that happened to you, you need to recall how painful it was through the content that came about with the emotion. For example, if one remembers how you were once crying when your father died, you will automatically feel the sadness (In that case, there is no way you will recall that you were crying and forget that you were in sad moments). Nobody ever forgets their emotions over something they instead recall their emotions through its content. For the most part, human beings cannot control their emotions over their memories, instead the emotions control them.
Good Question: Can the outcome of emotions be controlled?
Yes, this is a reasonable question because I personally know that everybody is able to control the way they feel over certain memories that may be traumatizing or painful to them. They remain with those emotions but then, they control their reactions over them. For example, if a soldier recalls all the dead people he might remember that it is something sad but then as time goes on, he will remember this but might not feel the same sadness that he felt before (This one example of how emotion can be changed).
I just wanted to make it clear by saying that the first question is a bad question because it has a direct answer. It can not be debatable and is also classified in one category (emotion).
DeleteThe second question is a good question because it can be related to many situations.
This is really a bad knowledge question points out a way of knowing which is good, but does not mention any areas of knowledge or knowledge itself. The question would be much better if an AOK had been added to that WOK(emotion).
DeleteIn this case, one could instead ask, "To what extent can our emotional changes change our understanding of the knowledge about a particular concept?"
So, I'm not going to lie, this post was extremely frustrating and I just ended up staring at my screen for a good amount of time. I finally landed on the article : The Strange and Mysterious History of the Ouija Board. I decided that this article finally interested me enough to read, but sadly then there weren't very many questions posed. The question I found to be a bad Knowledge Question was "For such an iconic thing that strikes both fear and wonder in American culture, how can no one know where it came from?". This seemed to fall under a weak knowledge issue. This specific question set up the entire article, and was followed by a very thorough explanation of why no one knew where the Ouija Board came from. It was simple explanation, almost bordering on the simplicity of a yes or no answer. If I were to create a better Knowledge Question out of this article, it would be along the lines of "In what way does the Ouija Board capture Americans in both fear and wonder, and how did this phenomenon ignite?" I think a question such as that would lead to more answers and more thinking. The question could be a simple answer, but could also be though of more in depth when looked at. It was tough to think of a strong knowledge issue surrounding this article, but that's the closest I got for the time being. Maybe a strong knowledge issue could be posed when looking deeper into the history of spiritualism related to culture. In summary, even a light article, such as mine, still has knowledge issues present.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/The-Strange-and-Mysterious-History-of-the-Ouija-Board-229532101.html?c=y&story=fullstory#ouija-board-patent-gallery.png
For my previous knowledge question, there are a few problems. To begin with, the subject matter of the knowledge question is too specific. The "Ouija Board" subject only applies to that one game, nothing else. Secondly, the rest of the question is too vague and specific at the same time. It is too specific in that it is obviously relating to a certain knowledge moment, but it is too vague in that it does not address an actual question.
Delete"In what way does the Ouija Board capture Americans in both fear and wonder, and how did this phenomenon ignite?"
Improved Knowledge Question: To what extent do mysterious situations change the knower's logic and perspective?
This knowledge question is improved in a few ways. The subject, mysterious situations, is general enough to apply to a broad spectrum of things. Another improvement is that the second part of the question applies the first subject to different ways of knowing. Different ways of knowing can be applied, again, to many people with many different backgrounds, creating a good knowledge question.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/19/david-birnbaum-jeweller-philosopher
ReplyDeleteThis article is titiled, "Has David Birnbaum solved the mystery of existence." It is about a jeweler, who claims to have discovered the mystery of existence on the beach.
Bad Question: What is metaphysics?
This is a bad Knowledge Question because it has its own definition. This is something that may be studied in a class room and has one definite answer: the branch of philosophy that deals with the first principles of things, including abstract concepts such as being, knowing, substance, cause, identity, time, and space (dictionary.com).
Good Question: What is the purpose of the universe?
This is a good Knowledge Question, as it allows the knower to think about their response. It allows comparison of other ideas and experiences. It is interesting and allows the knower to contemplate everything. In order to make a legitimate response to this question, the knower must look at many perspectives and analyze them. And even then, there is no right answer to this question.
Your "good" knowledge question is almost as bad as your "bad" knowledge question. Although it is correct that people need in depth thought about this question it is not a question about knowledge. It does not allow the knower to inquire about everything, in fact it only allows them to inquire about themselves. Although there are many perspectives to the answer of this question, that really isn't answerable anyway, this question is far too limited. It gives the chance to explore the knower but not different areas of knowledge or ways of knowing. It also has nothing to do with the topic. The topic is under "solving the mystery of existence" not "the purpose of the universe." A better knowledge question would be, "To what extent does experience alter a knower's definition of their own existence." This is a better knowledge question because the knower is able to explore the question by not only exploring themselves, but also by exploring different ways of knowing and areas of knowledge.
Deletehttp://www.newstatesman.com/2013/10/rain-your-wedding-day
ReplyDeleteThe article I read was called "The 500-year-long battle to make written irony easier to understand" from Arts and Letters Daily. I explained the evolution of our use of irony, giving examples of how writers have used it in their work over the years. This account of irony dates back to the 1600s leading up to our use of these: (-; .....There honestly weren't any direct questions in the article, however it did bring on KQs in my mind.
Bad KQ: A bad knowledge question in the article would be simply: What is irony? This is a bad knowledge question because it begins with the weak term "what" and is very direct. Irony can be defined, there is no depth to the question.
Good KQ: "In what way does irony influence a story?" This is a good knowledge question because it can be different from any prospective. The answer to that question depends on the context of a story as well as the reader--and the reader's extent of ironic understanding.