TOK IA- Censorship

Real Life Situation

Censorship's Effect on Knowledge

Autumn Sanson and Madison Scarcella

• ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, is a terrorist organization in Iraq.
• In August of last year ISIS released a video of an American journalist, James Foley, being beheaded.
• The video brought about controversy over if it should be shown or not.

Knowledge Question:

To what extent can censorship affect the ability to gain knowledge?

Censorship can hinder our ability to gain knowledge.

Since censorship suppresses communication, knowledge is limited to what is chosen to be shared.

Without being able to freely enter into the zone of exchange, knowers are restricted to their own personal knowledge more so than a person freely able to gain shared knowledge.

Censorship can aid in the acquisition of knowledge.

Ethics

Since there is a plethora shared knowledge available, censorship can a knowledge seeker narrow down the essential elements to learn about a topic.

The knowledge seeker has to be able to trust the source of the information.

Our brains naturally censor information for us.

• Propaganda
• Laws "protecting" minors
• Protecting a society's ethics
• False sense of security

Arts

• Theater/Literature
• To Kill A Mockingbird (By Harper Lee, play adapted by Christopher Sergel)
• Arts used as propaganda
• Pablo Picasso's Guernica
• Radios "bleep" out profanity

Censorship is used to control.

Censorship can be a form of control and enforcement instated by authority.

Censorship protects in the best interest of others based on ethics of a society.

However, censorship is not always made morally right

Human Sciences

• Evolution vs. Creation (and other scientific theories)
• Knowledge is filtered
• Learn more at different age levels and maturities

Conclusion

Works Cited:

"American James Foley Beheaded By ISIS | NBC News." YouTube.

YouTube, 20 Aug. 2014. Web. 06 Feb. 2015.

Gillispie, Mark. "Ohio Girl, 11, Charged with Murder in 2-month-old's Death."

Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 10 Feb. 2015. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.

"...Guernica in Exile." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.

<http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/a_nav/guernica_nav/gnav_level_1/4exile_guerfrm.html>.

Hannibal, Jette. Psychology for the IB Diploma. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2012.Print.

"ISIS Used to Be Al-Qaeda in Iraq." Vox. Vox, 17 June 2014. Web.

10 Feb. 2015. <http://www.vox.com/cards/things-about-isis-you-need-to-know/what-is-isis>.

Sayare, Scott. "What Je Suis Charlie Has Become." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media

Company, 30 Jan. 2015. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. <http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/01/je-suis-charlie-france-patriotism/384990/>.

Stelter, Brian. "James Foley Beheading Video: Would You Watch

It? - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News Network, 21 Aug. 2014. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/20/us/isis-beheading-social-media/>.

"Mockingbird's Fate Still Hanging as Appeals Committee, Endorsing the Work, Punts

on the Play | FlaglerLive." Mockingbird's Fate Still Hanging as Appeals Committee, Endorsing the Work, Punts on the Play | FlaglerLive. Flagler Live, 15 Nov. 2010. Web. 10 Feb. 2015. <http://flaglerlive.com/14455/mockingbird-appeal-flagler-2/>.

Censorship's effect on knowledge cannot be labeled as either positive or negative, because it can both help and hinder. It can be used as a tool to control what knowledge is gained or prevent knowledge from being gained. However, it can be concluded that our ability to gain knowledge is affected by censorship in the natural sciences, and arts to a significant extent. It can also be concluded that censorship is largely based on ethics, since the one who holds the knowledge holds the power.