Tok the Theory of Knowledge Suggests Four

TOK

The theory of knowledge suggests four ways of knowing: sense perception, reason, emotion, and language. Sense perception is the most important way of knowing in the traditional sciences because the scientific method is based on observable phenomena. Therefore, empirical research uses sense perception as its way of knowing. Reason is another way of knowing. Less quantifiable than sense perception, reason depends on logic and formal processes of thinking. Emotional knowledge is also "less measurable and tangible than our senses," ("Ways of Knowing," Theory of Knoweldge). Gut feelings are examples of emotional knowing. Finally, language is a way of knowing. Language refers not just to actual words; language as a way of knowing also refers to what the words say (content and semantics) and who said them (credibility).

Although these are the four established ways of knowing in the TOK, there is the potential for a fifth way of knowing: imagination. How does imagination differ from other ways of knowing, such as emotion? Imagination is not necessarily emotional in nature. Although some of the imaginary content can be emotionally charged, such as a beautiful painting or song, some imagination is not emotional at all. An inventor who designs a radical new system for harnessing solar energy is working on a different level of thought than an accountant or a doctor is. The way of knowing for an inventor or an artist is the imagination. Philosophers have defined imagination as "the image producing mechanism in the body that produces images of what the senses detect in the world around us," ("John Locke's Theory of Knowledge, n.d.).

If imagination is introduced as a formal way of knowing, this would present some issues in the theory of knowledge itself. It would add another dimension to the area of inquiry and expand ways of viewing knowledge. Imagination is a way of knowing that is different from the traditional four ways of knowing, because it does not depend on reason, emotion, sense perception, or language. A blind person can "see" images without relying on the physical sense of sight. Imagination completely bypasses both language and reason as a way of knowing. Therefore, imagination probably deserves to be considered a fifth way of knowing.

Imagination as a way of knowing has an impact in different areas of knowledge. The traditional TOK classifications of areas of knowledge include mathematics, the arts, history, human sciences, natural sciences, and ethics. Imagination applies to each and every one of these fields. The most obvious field that uses imagination as a way of knowing is the arts. All of the arts, including literature, use imagination as a way of knowing. A musician can "hear" an entire symphony in her head before writing or playing a note. A painter can envision an entire composition before lifting the brush, and an author can conjure up characters and scenarios that never before existed by using the imagination as a way of knowing.