TOK: Summary of ideas pages 27-37 (Chap 2.1)

Throughout this chapter, one will learn that Plato founded the first university, and here his students and himself were interested in finding out if their knowledge was valid. Plato's way-of-knowing, is also known as knowledge-by-description or propositional knowledge and he believed that the only real knowledge was knowledge you were certain about. The chapter then depicted how you can be sure you know something by following three tests, allowing you to believe, test for truth and then justify your true belief. Page 30, gives a brief description of the three famous thinkers: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, explaining their ways and beliefs of knowledge. As the chapter continues, it allows you to re-think your beliefs and learn to understand what a belief is, and what it has to do with knowing. It is evident that you must believe something in order to know it and be certain you know it. Therefore, it is shown that Plato believes a statement much be believed in order to contain knowledge. As well as belief, truth also plays a major role in the act knowing. There are three characteristics to truth that this chapter outlines: Truth is public, Truth is independent of anyone's belief and Truth is eternal. These three characteristics allow one to understand truth and the ways in which it can be interpreted. Lastly, Justification is needed it order to know something. Justification, as stated in the chapter, can be gained in four different ways: by logic, by empirical evidence, by memory and by authority. Pages 33 and 34 define the four ways in which justification can be achieved. Therefore, this chapter allows one to see how all three components: Belief, Truth and Justification, are needed it order to know something and be certain you know it.