Perception of Time

The article that was given to us to read is published by the author Rafeala von Bredow in 2006 given the title: "Brazil's Pirahã Tribe: Living without numbers or time. This article summarises the way that a tribe in Brazil live with no history, descriptive words and no subordinate clauses. This means that there definition and perception of time would vary to ours causing it to be one of the strangest languages in the world. With that being said, when interviewing this tribe- it is obvious by the way spoke they only value the present time and do not think of future. This is evident when a tribal member describes how when  he'll "finish eating, I speak with you." Obviously this shows that they do not prioritise things based on its importance but rather their logical and way of thinking is based on what is infront of them at that time. To justify, the Pirahã tribe is focuses mainly with matter that relates to there personal experience of which suggests they have no undefined past or future but rather, they are experiencing living memory and only the present. This concept of life is expression using amongst the trible that is known as "Xibipíío" meaning "experiential  liminality". Such expression helps support the fact that they only focus on the current rather than what has gone and what will/might happen. By believing this concept, it allows them to not believe in relgions or myths because they believe that if close people did not experience it then it would not be true. In addition to so, the Piraha people believe that everyone is equal and no body deserves to have a leader above them but themselves. This causes them to let things be and  not question things nor try to see “deeper” aspects of feelings or situations so they do not attempt on perceiving the “deeper” aspects of feelings or situations. 

My perception of time allows myself to think about the past, present and future. I've lived in the UAE for all my life and from my personal experience with past events and situations- I believe that people are able to plan situations with precision yet still remembering there past. For example, I use my daily planner everyday and tick off things I have done and then plan things I need to do. Although I am still planning things I need to do like complete my essay, I still record my previous actions as Service and Action on Manage bac because it will be beneficial for me for my future. As for the present time, I value the present time because it will soon be my past that would build upon my future. With such strong believes in the coloration between the past, present and future- I think this is the case because I believe in the day of judgement and how this is just a temporary period of time. This allows me to value time even more because I know that there is a second life therefore I must not tae time for granted and fulfil my needs to the maximum. As a famous quote once says: "If you don't have a past, one has no future".

Comparing both perspectives of time, I believe that my perception of time is different to the Piraha people because they only value the present whereas I value past, present and future. I think this is the case because they are not deep thinkers and believe that one should not over think situations causing them to not believe in aspects like religion or myths. But myself for example, I believe that the perspective of time must be valued and taken full advantage of because time goes by fast yet there is so much situations that must be accomplished. 

Knowledge Claims and Questions

As I was reading the article published by Listverse by the author Josh Fox whom summarised concepriesy theories based on the moon landings, I came to the conclusion that I must first list out and justify knowledge claims and questions. 

In TOK, there are two types of knowledge claims including the following: 

1- First Order: These are known for being claims within particular areas of knowledge or by individual knowers about the world. 

2- Second Order: These are known for being claims that are made about knowledge.


Whereas knowledge questions are about knowledge therefore instead of focusing on specific content, they focus on how knowledge is constructed and evaluated. In this way, they are considered second order questions that are general, open and is about knowledge. 


Now, understanding such terminology in TOK will allow you to apply this in real life situation examples. This means that I will be able to find questions and claims about knowledge in the article that I found. 

Further more to this,  the article that I read justifies how the theory that the moon landings were hoaxed by the US government to assert their victory in the space race over Russia is something that has grown in popularity over time. This means that the author proposed scientific evidence that suggest how the moon landings were hoaxes. Moreover, this was accomplished by providing an objective perspective of concperioy theories back up with NASA's counterarguments which includes:

1-The waving flag
2-Lack of impact crater
3-Multiple light sources
4-The Van Allen radiation belt
5-The unexplained object
6-Slow-motion walking and Hidden cables
7-Lack of stars
8-The "C" Rock
9-The layered cross hairs
10-The Duplicate Backdrop

Knowledge Claims:

First Order: 

1-  Neil Armstrong accomplished the space mission of Gemini 8, Appollo 11

2- The first moon landing was shown on Television

3-  Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon

4- Armstrong landed on the moon in July 20 1969

5- He placed the famous waving American flag on the moon. 

Second Order:

1- Scientific research by astronomy enthusiasts prove to us that our knowledge on the landing of the moon is not completely accurate because ’s there is no oxygen in the moon although and therefore no wind to cause the flag to blow. 

2- Scientific research  by scientists challenge our knowledge of Armstrong's landing of the moon by claiming that  the surface of the moon is covered in fine lunar dust, and even this doesn’t seem to have been displaced in photographic evidence. This means that the space module required significantly less thrust in the low-gravity conditions than it would have done on Earth.

3- Conspiracy theorists prove wrong the landing of the moon by claiming that there is only one strong light source that is the Sun therefore it’s fair to suggest that all shadows should run parallel to one another. This is unlike the photos which have multiple light sources which causes them to believe that the photos were taken on a film set.

4- Conspiracy theorists question our scientific knowledge of the landing of the moon by claiming that the sheer levels of radiation from the Van Allen Radiation Belt would have cooked the astronauts en route to the moon, despite the layers of aluminum coating the interior and exterior of the spaceship. (The belt is held in place by Earth’s magnetic field and stays perpetually in the same place).

Knowledge Questions: 


To what extend can we rely on theories to give us accurate knowledge on the landing of the moon?

How can we establish that the sheer levels of radiation from the Van Allen Radiation Belt did not affect the astronauts on the way to the moon?

How can we predict that there is no oxygen in the moon if the American flag was photographed waving on the moon?


Overall, I believe that it is vital to remember knowledge questions and claims in order to successfully become a critical TOK thinker as you thoroughly assess the article that not only questions the world but also knowledge itself. 

The Knowers Perspective: Is it all a matter of perspective?

It is very crucial to consider the variety of perspectives when dealing with the theory of knowledge. This means that stressing the importance of your real life situations allows you to appreciate those areas of knowledge that use perspectacry to gain to our understanding of our nature as humans in this universe. Such vital aspect in this course links with the Learner Profile that aims for students to become open-minded and develop skills of empathy.

In class today we were challenged with two maps that somewhat seemed slightly different in terms of the placement of certain countries as well the switch of colors. This allowed some students to agree that they are the same map however some argued against that. Personally i believe that it is the same map however is driven by the power of perspective that is held by the knower’s control. To justify I think so because it depends on the perspective you see the purpose that the map and depending on what you are used to seeing/ your preference of certain things. 

For example, if someone has been living in Africa their whole life, they would argue that the first map (With Africa enlarged) would be the correct map and/or the most effective map to use because it is what he has pastly experiences and is used to. This means he/she has used there reason that is based off of there memory. Where as someone else that has lived in America would probably argue that the second map is accurate because it is larger and is what he/she is used to. Undoubtedly, this proves how the knowers shape and identity by shared knowledge - is the essential concept of how perspective is, in part, known for being a personal knowledge/ sets of understanding. Obviously there are many types of personal knowledge that include the following:

1- Knowledge on my emotions

2-Knowledge I gain though my senses on the exploration and development in the world around me

3-Knowledge of my personal self through memory

However there is another type of knowledge that is commonly known for being "Shared knowledge" which influences ones personal knowledge for example:

1- Exposure to imagination of an individual artist.

2- Reading the background information and factual summary of ones historical context.

3- Immersion in the biological sector and helping develop solutions for world problems.