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OGC TOK: Knowledge & Religion

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Knowledge Questions about Religion

Scope

  • Q1: If knowledge is a map, what is the territory that religion represents?
  • Q2: What is the value of thinking about questions to which there are no definite answers?
  • Q3: Is certainty any more or less attainable in religion than it is in the arts or human sciences?

Perspectives

  • Q1: Can there be religious knowledge that is independent of the culture that produces it?
  • Q2: Are those outside a specific religious tradition really able to understand its key ideas?
  • Q3: To what extent do you agree that there is just as much diversity of perspectives within individual religions than there is across different religions?

Methods and Tools

  • Q1: What is the role of analogy and metaphor in the acquisition of religious knowledge?
  • Q2: What difficulties are presented by using human language to discuss religious claims?
  • Q3: Are faith and reason interdependent?

Ethics

  • Q1: Do we have an ethical responsibility to gain knowledge of different religions to help us better understand the world and those around us?
  • Q2: Does religion provide a way to systematize concepts of right and wrong?
  • Q3: What role do religious leaders and authority figures play in influencing ethical debates?

Video: What really happened during the Salem Witch trials, via TED

 

Want more Knowledge and Religion questions? See HERE, via IBO

Key Concepts

What is religion?

  • Who has religious knowledge, and what is it about?

God

Faith

  • Are religious beliefs rational?  Does it matter? 
  • Is reason enough
  • Is certainty any more or less attainable in religion than it is in the arts or human sciences
  • Where should the burden of proof lie – on those proving, or disproving an idea?

Right and Wrong

  • Does religion provide a way to systematise concepts of right and wrong?

Creation / Metaphor

  • What role do analogy and metaphor play in the production and communication of religious ideas?

Key Vocabulary & Terminology

religion and ethics systematizing concepts of right and wrong

Details via the IBO

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