TBD with John and Aaron John McDonald and Aaron Vigar
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- Society & Culture
TBD: A teacher and a carpenter answer a philosophical question each episode about the nature of knowledge. Each will endeavor to be honest, funny, and hopefully learn something new. Content loosely connected to the International Baccalaureate course Theory of Knowledge. Contact: info@tbdpodcast.org
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Episode 14 - Is subjectivity overly celebrated in the arts but unfairly condemned in history?
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 -
Episode 13 - Do we need custodians of knowledge?
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 -
Episode 12 - Can there be knowledge that is independent of culture?
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 -
Episode 11 - How can we distinguish between good and bad interpretations?
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/ -
Episode 10 -The Paradox of Tolerance
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 -
Episode 9 - The Bystander Effect
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.