1. Senior Seminar Rashomon Essay Task 2 Name: SukYoung Cho
Mr. Clover Period: 6
Basics:
1. Why were the characters at a particular location? What brought them there?
The characters – the woodcutter, the priest, and the commoner – were under the Rashoman gate
because they were avoiding the rain.
2. Whose story explains why the characters were at that spot in the forest?
Not one particular character’s story explains why the characters were at the spot in the forest, but
everyone’s story.
3. What weapon killed the Samurai?
The woodcutter tells us that the samurai was killed by a sword; however, the other characters say
that the dagger killed him.
4. What happened to the sword? The dagger? Who has them?
The bandit took the sword, and the dagger was stolen. The woodcutter has them.
5. Whatever the real truth, do all the characters lie?
Although, the characters mostly lie throughout the story, the woodcutter has times when he tells
the truth. Therefore, not all of the characters lie.

2. Senior Seminar Rashomon Essay Task 2 Name: SukYoung Cho
Mr. Clover Period: 6
The Next Step: Remember K = JTB? Let’s play with that.
e.g. I know what happened. I believe X killed Y. It’s true the X killed Y. This is justified
because of Z.
1. Is motive evidence? Can motive be Z? Why or why not? (Try using different
perspectives – Morris; Ebert; Plato or your own.)
Motive is not evidence and motive cannot be Z. This is because motive is not a result but a
process. Motivation can help a progress, but does not necessarily mean there will be a result. For
instance, an Olympic swimmer has the motivation to win a gold medal; however, there is no
evidence to prove that he will.
2. What would Morris say you can put into the K = JTB equation in order to solve this
crime? What would Ebert say? Would they be searching for the same thing?
Although, both Morris and Ebert would be searching for the same truth, their thoughts may differ.
Morris would agree with the equation K=JTB because the fact is, X did kill Y. However, Ebert
may not fully agree with this thought process. He may believe that there may be an exception;
for example, A could have killed Y.
3. Can we know motive? In dealing with motive what level of certainty can we
achieve? Does motive generate relativism?
Identifying a motive can be very difficult, because absolute truth is likewise a challenge.
However, there is a level of certainty that we can achieve by assessing someone’s behavior or
attitude.
4. Do we need motive for belief in the K = JTB equation? Can we justify belief with motive?
I don’t think we need motive belief in the equation K=JTB. However, this doesn’t mean it
cannot be used. As stated above motive can act as evidence, and maybe evidence can play the
role of belief.

3. Senior Seminar Rashomon Essay Task 2 Name: SukYoung Cho
Mr. Clover Period: 6
5. Can we have Knowledge if we don’t know why something happened; why someone took
an action? Who might say yes and who might say no to this question?
Knowledge of something has to be supported by facts and evidence; however, if we don’t know
why something happened, there is no evidence to back knowledge. Also, the equation K=JTB
tells us that without justification and the truth, knowledge cannot be achieved.
6. Which is more vital in order to find the truth – physical evidence or understanding
motive? Would your answer change depending on the amount of physical evidence?
Although, I believe that truth cannot be justified solely through physical evidence or
understanding motive, physical evidence is more vital in order to find truth. This is because the
level of certainty that we have for motivation does not match with those of physical evidence.
Also, my answer may change depending on the amount of physical evidence.
Even further:
1. There is a relationship between ethics and epistemology (the theory of knowledge). Since
WoK clearly have limitations (in this case it seems that we can’t figure out who did it)
what happens when we have to make an ethical choice based on our limited
knowledge? How would you make the ethical decision about who to punish for the
crime?
Since WoK clearly has limitations, there are times when we have to make ethical choices based
on our limited knowledge. I believe the ethical decision to punish someone then rely on instinct
and the judgment of the character’s behaviors.