This document discusses how knowledge and doubt are related through two examples. It first discusses how a child's belief in Santa Claus represents limited and unjustified knowledge that is later replaced by more factual understanding gained through experience and reasoning. The second example discusses how scientific discoveries, such as realizing the earth revolves around the sun, replaced earlier geocentric models and led to increased uncertainty. The document also analyzes historical accounts of Hitler's death that raised doubts and how gaining more knowledge did not necessarily resolve uncertainties.

1. TOK Essay
Title 2 “We know with confidence only when we know little; with knowledge doubt
increases” (adapted from JW von Goethe). Discuss this statement with reference to two
areas of knowledge.
Knowledge can be gained through several ways like intuition, experience, experimentation social
interaction, discovery, invention, reading etc. We support the knowledge gained through sense
perception and reason. In the oldest and venerable traditions, the philosophy of knowledge was
characterized as justified true belief and it corresponds to what is actual and true what is
represents and it is legitimized by logical and imperial factors.1
I would like to justify this with a
help of a simple example - when we say “water” we all know through experience that we need
water to survive. We require water for various purposes and we also learn and experience that
water changes it forms when treated with in different temperatures. As we grow up we
understand that molecular nature of water and it can be can termed as H 2 0” as the composition
of water is justified by deductive experimentation. We also gain knowledge through subjects like
Natural Science, Language and Mathematics, Humanities, Art, Religion and Ethics etc. However
our ways of knowing may differ as we all perceive knowledge gained differently as intuitions
and emotions may affect what we think. Logic and reasoning may also over power intuitions and
emotions. New knowledge leads us to doubt the limited knowledge we have had before which
may further lead to lack in confidence and uncertainty. Uncertainty only leads to gaining of more
knowledge which may satisfy our basic instinct of curiosity.
As a child I used to be very excited to celebrate Christmas as I always believed in Santa Clause
who came flying from the North Pole in a red suit with his Reindeers squeezing through the
chimneys to shower me with gifts the condition being I was a ‘GOOD” boy. I was always
amused by his supernatural power of being a super hero. As I grew up and gained more
knowledge and I realized that Santa Clause was no other than my parents who surprised me with
all the gifts and in turn expected me to behave the way they wanted me to. Our parents and
1
Henriques, Gregg. "What Is Knowledge? A Brief Primer." Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, 04
Dec. 2013. Web. 15 Oct. 2017. <https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/theory-
knowledge/201312/what-is-knowledge-brief-primer>

2. teachers who are our trustworthy authorities provide us with this information which is highly
false and impossible to Young children who are credulous believe that Santa flies through the
air in a wooden sledge ,however this violates the information that is not only false but also highly
implausible for someone to enter all the houses of the “Good ” children through their chimneys
at night at the same time.2
As a child even if I doubted the plausibility of Santa Claus, it was not
possible to argue with all the authorities of the house who were so remarkably consistent in
providing this knowledge. Cultural messages regarding Santa are so persuasive that even grown
up kids continue believing his existence in some circumstances When I began to doubt Santa’s
existence because of my intellectual development I realized that it for someone to have these
super human abilities in reality was simply impossible, and I could distinguish the plausible from
the impossible scientifically as well as religiously. As a fact I learnt that the sun rises in the east
and sets in the west.
As I grew up I understood that the sun stays in its position and is at the center of our solar system
and it does not rise and set. It only appears to rise and set because of the earth’s rotation.
Similarly, with more inventions and discoveries in science, scientists observed the shape and size
of the earth and started drawing inferences which kept on leading to new knowledge and
concepts as doubt increased. A Scientists may look at the earth in his perspective and share his
knowledge using the law of gravity using his personal knowledge, a mathematician may look at
the same with his perspective and Philosopher will have a totally different perspective. I would
like to unfold my topic using natural science and history to explain how doubt increases as we
gain more knowledge.
Human evolution as per Darwin’s theory shows that individuals started from ape like
progenitors. Logical confirmations have demonstrated that the physical and behavioral attributes
shared by all individuals began from primate like precursors approximately six million years
2
N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2017.
<http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2014/12/what_makes_children_doubt_s
anta_claus_belief_comes_from_parents_doubt_from.html>

3. ago.3
Humans and the great Apes of Africa and the gorillas shared a common ancestor that lived
between 6to 8 million which evolved from Africa. The fossils of humans which came in 2 to 6
million of years ago came from Africa.
Looking at the religious perspective the Christian believe that God was the creator and savior
and sacred text draws a reasonable qualification amongst man and the creature world. Data
demonstrates that warm blooded creatures, winged creatures and fish were not made by god.
Only man shared the awesome distinction for the grand purpose. God created man, Adam of the
dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils life and man came a live the bible also claims
that Eve was born out of the Adam. As she evolved from a man she is called Woman.
As two schools of thoughts Christianity means that believing the Bible is authentic and the birth
trustworthy of god however one cannot believe in these things as we know how through facts
how man evolved.
The controversy between the astronomer and priest is quite controversial when we study about
religion and natural science while the lunar eclipses were caused. The priest had taught that the
eclipses were caused due to the restlessness of god and considered as evil omens which were
directed against the lives of their kings. 4
They were armed with the next accurate perdition of the
next eclipse and were substituted with a temporary king during the interval of the eclipse
mentioning that they protected the real king in this way. The substitute king was killed
afterwards to satisfy the omen
Doubt can be caused when we start questioning the fact which leads us to gain more knowledge.
Emotions and language are the ways of knowing through which our doubt can be cleared and this
plays an important role in our knowledge of History.
3
Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Introduction to Human Evolution | The
Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program. N.p., 01 Mar. 2010. Web. 1 Nov. 2017.
<http://humanorigins.si.edu/education/introduction-human-evolution>.
4
"Overview: Where Science and Religion Conflict." Home Page of the ReligiousTolerance.org Web
Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2017. <http://www.religioustolerance.org/scirel_ov1.htm>.

4. Hitler was a very powerful leader and over a period of time he developed many enemies. His
Germanys military situation deteriorated and many of which wanted him to be dead. 5
This left
him paranoid and so he frequently modified his schedule to keep himself safe. He escaped a
bomb with minor injuries. Hitler accepted the inevitability of his defeat. He set into action his
plan to take his own life and shot himself in spite of the fact that people saw his body cremated a
doubt was raised about how a strong personality like him would commit suicide? This doubt
leads the investigation by the CIA who claimed that Hitler lived in Colombia but the CIA
dismissed it as a rumor.
Encourage examination of the tyrant's demise was explored by leading the DNA tests on a piece
of skull, which, uncovered it really had a place with a unidentified lady.6
Many doubts were raised and after re-examining the history it is claimed that there were actually
n facts that mentioned if Hilter actually lived or died. Some claimed he fled out of Germany.7
Another document states: "American Army officials in Germany have not located Hitler's body
nor is there any reliable source that Hitler is dead." Some asserted that the Cadaver found by
Russians was five inches shorter than Hitler and with a littler skull. The Ex-Joined Countries
atrocities specialist John Cencich likewise demonstrated a man who saw his escape.. There has
been no evidence to prove if Hitler died after the suicide or he lived in another place with more
doubt we tend to come up with different view which may help us to test the reliability of the
topic but we may not come to a conclusion.
So, then the question lies whether we should only create more doubts to gain knowledge or strike
a balance between how much to doubt and how much to believe. We could also question if we
really know what we know or is it also just a fragment of knowledge based on past doubts.
5
N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2017. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/zsmm6sg>.
6
N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2017. <http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/hitler-escaped-germany-and-
lived-in-paraguay-until-his-death-in-1971_uk_5786109ce4b08078d6e78435>.
7
Images), (Image: Getty. "CIA Veteran Claims Hitler 'faked Own Death and Fled to South America in
Sub'." Mirror. N.p., 15 Jan. 2017. Web. 22 Nov. 2017. <https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-
news/cia-veteran-claims-adolf-hitler-9626537>