• Episode 14 - Is subjectivity overly celebrated in the arts but unfairly condemned in history?
    Dec 16 2023

    The Eminem and Dr. Dre of ToK podcasting return with an examination of another Theory of Knowledge essay question. 

    Some areas we cover you may like to know more about:

    Banana on a wall:
    https://www.gq.com/story/suddenly-the-koons-is-this-100k-banana

    1619 Project
    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html 

    Herodotus, the 'father of history'
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A542ixwyBhc&ab_channel=TED-Ed 

    Enjoy



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    58 mins
  • Episode 13 - Do we need custodians of knowledge?
    Nov 6 2023

    After two years, the ToK dynamic duo are back, baby! 

    Do we need custodians of knowledge? 

    We have a wide ranging general discussion of the question, focusing on a few AoKs that may connect to it. We get into a few examples that caught our eye. 

    Some links you might find useful:

    Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities
    https://www.britannica.com/topic/Imagined-Communities-Reflections-on-the-Origins-and-Spread-of-Nationalism


    Duchamp's Fountain:
    https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/duchamp-fountain-t07573

    Public Broadcasting: Its past and its future
    https://knightfoundation.org/public-media-white-paper-2017-gardner/

    Enjoy - and as always, reach out to us:

    info@tbdpodcast.org 



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    52 mins
  • Episode 12 - Can there be knowledge that is independent of culture?
    Nov 26 2021

    Can there be knowledge that is independent of culture?

    Good question - We have a go at answering it.

    We get stuck in to the Voyager spacecraft, music and octaves across cultures, Denis Dutton's The Art Instinct.

    Get in touch:

    Email: info@tbdpodcast.org 

    Twitter: @tbdpod1 

    Some links you might find useful:

    Denis Dutton's The Art Instinct:
    https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5788390-the-art-instinct

    The Voyager Golden Record
    https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/golden-record/

    Music Across Cultures
    https://www.oh-i-see.com/blog/2013/11/24/culture-smart-the-musical-scale-across-cultures/
    https://news.mit.edu/2019/perception-musical-pitch-cultures-0919

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    45 mins
  • Episode 11 - How can we distinguish between good and bad interpretations?
    Oct 18 2021

    The r/ToK subreddit voted for our topic, and this was the result.

    We tackle this question: How can we distinguish between good and bad interpretations? Discuss with reference to the arts and one other area of knowledge.

    Some very fun chat with some great real world examples.

    Get in touch:

    Email: info@tbdpodcast.org 

    Twitter: @tbdpod1 

    Some links you might find useful:

    Misinterpreting The Scream:
    https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/munch-scream-british-museum-gbr-scli-intl/index.html

    Malcolm Gladwell: The Bomber Mafia
    https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/25/books/review/the-bomber-mafia-malcolm-gladwell.html 

    Robert McNamara "the hyper-rational executive led astray by numbers"
    https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/05/31/178263/the-dictatorship-of-data/

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    43 mins
  • Episode 10 -The Paradox of Tolerance
    Sep 19 2021

    We have a good time debating the Paradox of Tolerance.  

    Source:
    Karl Popper: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/sep/26/100-best-nonfiction-books-karl-popper-open-society-its-enemies

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    26 mins
  • Episode 9 - The Bystander Effect
    Aug 22 2021

    If something demands action, would you help? Or does it depend how many people are there...? We have fun talking about this controversial phenomenon.  Widely accepted to be true, contemporary research brings it into dispute. 

    Sources:

    Bystander effect in street disputes questioned:
    https://nscr.nl/en/bystander-blijkt-wel-degelijk-in-actie-te-komen-bij-ruzie-op-straat/

    Death of Raymond Zack:
    https://www.firehouse.com/home/news/10722848/family-of-raymond-zack-sues-alameda-city-and-county-in-death

    Kitty Genovese:
    https://www.simplypsychology.org/Kitty-Genovese.html#:~:text=This%20term%20was%20coined%20after,intervene%20or%20call%20the%20police.

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    24 mins
  • Episode 8 - Ship of Theseus
    Aug 1 2021

    We have a go at unpacking this classic philosophical paradox, riffing on all the ramifications that flow out of it. As always, an enjoyable conversation about this head scratcher. 

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    20 mins
  • Episode 7 - What is Knowledge?
    Jul 3 2021

    Our second 'mini-sode' -  The focus this time: 'What is Knowledge? Is it simply justified, true belief?

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    17 mins