6. ToK Prescribed Title (2009) Question 1

"Science is built of facts the way a house is built of bricks: but an accumulation of facts is no more science than a pile of bricks is a house" (Henri Poincaré). Discuss in relation to science and at least one other area of knowledge.

The essence of the Q examine the relationship of the parts to the whole. What MORE does a house need than just bricks (cement, wood, metal and so on)? There is more to a house than just the sum of its raw materials. Similarly, there is more to the science of, let's say, molecular biology, than the sum of all the observed facts of how cells work. What is this EXTRA? How can we KNOW it? What, in short, is the nature of the METHOD of science and other areas of knowledge like history or the human sciences in establishing knowledge?

Knowledge issues: does the scientific method (or methods in other areas) give a solid foundation to our knowledge (to continue the building analogy)? Is the knowledge established by science 100% certain or reliable? To what extent is reason the EXTRA science depends on? Why? How does perception and emotion play a role in constructing scientific knowledge?

Approaches: look at history and how we reconstruct our knowledge of the past. Is this knowledge more or less certain than scientific knowledge? Can science help historians to shape their knowledge of the past? Look at psychology and how we acquire knowledge about our deepest inner states. How do we construct our theories about dreams, for example. Look at ethics and how we decide on which course of action to take. We may have all the facts about a situation, such as sending more soldiers to Afghanistan, but should we do it? What is the problem of deriving a judgment of value from given facts? You can go on and look at other areas depending on the word count.

Don't forget to read and research so that you can use REAL LIFE examples to support your argument. Make sure you state your argument clearly and in brief in your introduction.