TOK Exhibition
Question:
9. Are some types of knowledge less open to interpretation than others?
This picture shows the bible that Jehovah’s Witnesses use. I grew up around the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses and this bible is the bible that has been used for most of my life throughout my family. There are many sects of religion that use the bible as their sacred text. The bible is considered a sacred text in Judaism (Tanakh), Christianity (Bible), and Islam (Quran). The bible is the oldest book in the world, it has more than 3000 translations. Because of the different sects, testaments, as well as languages there are many interpretations of the bible. Some individuals who use the bible as their sacred text have their own interpretation of the bible whether it’s a literal interpretation of the words written or a symbolic interpretation which correlates with personal knowledge. Some interpretations of the bible are taught by authority figures or religious leaders within a church or place of worship. A pastor or priest interprets the bible in one way which is told to be the “right way” and shares it with a “congregation” or group making it shared knowledge but also restricted due to the fact the authority figure is telling a group how to interpret the sacred text. It comes down to shared knowledge versus personal knowledge, having a priest share their interpretation of the bible and share it with a group of knowers but then it’s determined by the group of knowers or individuals to either accept the interpretation or have their own.
Are some types of knowledge less open to interpretation than others?
This picture is a picture of my mother and I. My mom is from haitian descent and she speaks Haitian creole. There are many things she says to me that when translated to English, doesn't quite make sense. For example, she has this saying that adults usually say in haiti “W ap kon joj”. Translated in english it means “you’ll know george”. It’s a metaphor. “W ap kon joj” is an idiom. An idiom is a figure of speech that doesn’t make literal sense but it becomes an understood part of the language. It might make sense in one language but not the other. “W ap kon joj” means you’ll know george when translated in english but it really means you’ll see the consequences, it’s a kind of warning which a parent tells “if you keep doing this, you’ll suffer a consequence”. Growing up I was never fully taught how to speak haitian creole but I knew how to translate it into english. On certain occasions, my mother would say something in creole and ask me to translate it. I would do so, but it wouldn’t come out word for word.I believe that this correlates to a universal truth but in terms of language translation (interpretation) as well as age. In this picture, I was 6 years old. I knew the haitian language at that age. It is believed that age is relevant towards the interpretation of knowledge. It isn’t. It’s never too late or too early to learn a language.
Are some types of knowledge less open to interpretation than others?
Work Cited:
Daniels, Elijah. Addressing The Charge That The New World Translation Is "Biased", Blogger, 13 Sept. 2013, http://defendingjehovahswitnesses.blogspot.com/2012/02/addressing-claim-that-new-world.html .