tok chapter 1

What do our maps have to do with our views of the world?
Maps never accurately demonstrate the world scientifically. Instead, it serves as more of a perceived notion of territorial borders and power. Any given map is subject to bias in regards to detail and size depending on where it was created. A country with multiple islands and curvy topography essentially pay more attention to the detail and accuracy of that region, as opposed to an equally detailed country on the other side of the world. Nationalism incidentally causes any given country to assume, or even unconsciously, place their country at the center of their map, or even enlarge its size, due to the fact that they have so much pride and honor in possessing that particular nationality. It's not necessarily ignorance or lack of knowledge that causes this occurrence, but more of heightened focus on their own area.
Please list the significant ideas in “The Concept of 'Perspectives'”
This passage primarily asserts that if asked for someone's worldview, then every map is correct because of the difference between each person's nationality and education. However, if one asks for an accurate demonstration of the world relative to size, shape, and placement, some versions prove to be better than others. This secures the idea that while human nature accepts and appreciates varying perspectives, at the same time, it's extremely difficult to settle on a standard and accurate representation.
What is the role of perspectives in knowledge?
Perspectives ultimately cause a person to choose to gain more knowledge, or prevent them from doing so. When a given person already has a preconceived notion or idea regarding a certain topic, they can either remain true to what they already think they know, or they can further secure concrete knowledge by viewing different viewpoints to understand the whole of the subject matter. Humans have a difficult time separating what they perceptually believe is true and what is conceptually true, so perspectives ultimately interfere with knowledge and learning, as a person may stubbornly choose to ignore or belittle scientific data or proof that directly opposes their own personal beliefs.
What is culture?
Culture is a highly generalized term used to address one's surroundings and characteristics of a given group of families and communities loosely tied together by characteristics such as food, attire, interaction between men and women, weddings, and celebratory traditions and customs. As explained by Clifford Geertz, culture is the “framework of beliefs, expressive symbols, and values in terms of which individuals define their world.” The culture of a particular area or subgroup primarily only refers to their culturally diverse practices and unique attributes heavily practiced essentially by them.
What are five good questions that come from the implications of our concept of culture?
- Do we accept cultural identity as something worth respecting and preserving?
- Does culture impact and affect the way people think?
- Do groups use the concept of culture to reinforce ethnic ideas and nationalism?
- Do groups deny certain cultures in order to assimilate multiple subgroups?
- What does multiple cultures represent in a diverse area?
Using bullets, indicate the major points in the relationship between culture and knowledge.
- Culture affects what we consider to be important knowledge
- People who only know one way of doing things or one perspective consider it the only way, and don't openly consider other possibilities.
- Through shared knowledge distributed by the news, literature, or academic classes, we have the chance to consider with more consciousness the many diverse ways of thinking.
- Through music, dance, and literature, the familiarizing of the different customs create a more receptive attitude towards the people who practice them.
Using bullets, indicate the major points in recognizing cultural perspectives.
- Gaining knowledge about a different culture is more than just recognizing the differences.
-In order to truly gain any understanding, one must evaluate how different groups think and feel.
-Understanding varying cultural aspects help in eliminating and dealing with issues within our own culture.
What are the three Theoretical Approaches to cultural differences?
The first theory, the Values Operation Theory, asserted by Florence Kluckhohn and Fred Strodtbeck, has been used to aid communication across cultures and to examine cultural changes over time. The second theory by Geert Hofstede determined four clusters of values that he referred to as “dimensions of culture.” After further research, he included two more dimensions, making a total of six, which were power distance, individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation, and indulgence vs. restraint. These extremes were used to identify values of a culture relative to others. The third theory was built off of Hofstede's work by Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampton-Turner. They examined how culture affected business and management and identified seven dimensions of culture, which were universal/plural, individualist/communitarian, specific/diffuse, neutral/affective, achieved status/ascribed status, inner directed/outer directed, and sequential time/synchronic time.