February 14, 2010

TOK Journal #3, Date of Writing: 14/02/10, Topic: The Choice of Knowledge

A few days ago in TOK class, we watched the first 30 minutes or so of a movie called "The Matrix." Towards the end of this 30 minute segment, Neo (the main charcter) is offered a choice.

MORPHEUS: "This is your last chance. After this, there is no going back. You take the blue pill and the
story ends. You wake in your bed and you believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill.... and you stay in Wonderland. I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes."

The choice Morpheus offers Neo boils down to this: knowing, or not knowing. I, personally, would chose the red pill - this is because it is in my nature, as a human, to both desire knowing and fear not knowing. Further, i believe that the vast majority of humans would make the same choice as myself, because, again, it is our nature to do so.
 
How does this relate to Epistemology? Morpheus is questioning the same thing TOK questions: how do we know what we know? I believe the answer is evident: we don't.