Which type of Knowledge Claim is most important to me (and why)

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The Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is important as it challenges individuals to have a critical reflection of the different areas of knowledge and the broad ways of knowing. It increases individuals’ self-awareness for them to think critically and observe the critical role that knowledge plays in the society. The theory of knowledge helps us understand the complexity of knowledge and hence the need to be responsible within the complex and highly interconnected world. Hence, knowledge and the different ways of knowing are central to TOK. Knowledge may refer to the degree with which we know what we claim to know. Given the complexity of knowledge, varied ways of knowing may exist, hence different bases of knowledge.
In any particular setting, it is highly important to increasingly question the bases of knowledge. This is done through a critical examination of the knowledge claims that people make. In the context of the Theory of Knowledge, a knowledge claim is anything that an individual may believe to be true but may be open to a debate or discussion on its validity. That is, knowledge claims involve an individual making a claim which he/she believes to be true either with sufficient evidence or without sufficient evidence. In most of the cases, individuals make knowledge claims as a way of rationalizing or justifying their thoughts or beliefs. In other words, knowledge claims are used as a way of defining thoughts or beliefs.

The theory of knowledge teaches that individuals should be ready to test the validity of their knowledge claims. The questioning of knowledge for its validity involves the critical evaluation and examination of our knowledge claims. In order to understand knowledge at work in different areas of the society, we should be able to understand the different areas of knowledge as well as the strengths of the different ways of knowing. This is possible through the critical evaluation and understanding of validity of knowledge claims (Lehrer 140)
Basically, there are two types of knowledge claims. The first type of knowledge claims entails the claims about the world, made by individuals within a certain area of knowledge. The major characteristic of this type of knowledge claims is that they reside within a specific area of knowledge. These claims are also referred to as the first-hand knowledge claims. An example of the first-hand knowledge claim is “the set of all prime numbers is infinite”. This claim is first-hand it can be attributed to a certain area of knowledge, that is, mathematics. There is also a mathematical proof established to proof the validity of the claim. The second type of knowledge claims entails claims about knowledge. The major characteristic of this type of claims is that the justification of the claim requires a reflection of the nature of knowledge using the TOK tools. Claims about knowledge are also referred to as the second-hand knowledge claims. An example of the second-hand knowledge claim is “based on the knowledge of the structure of chemical elements, as outlined in the methods of chemistry, the lightest element is the hydrogen atom”. This is a claim about knowledge as it involves the knowledge in the field of chemistry. To establish the validity of the claim, we have to examine the methods of chemistry by the use of the TOK tools (Bastian 78).
Personally, the type of knowledge claim that is best for me is the first-hand knowledge claim, that is, the claim about the world. This is because these claims are majorly based on the world and thus relatively easy to examine their validity. For example, the claim “mammals do not fly” is a first-hand claim. Although it might not necessarily be true, for example, bats fly and yet they are mammals, it talks about creatures of the world and thus could easily be examined for validity. Most of the first-hand claims, especially in mathematics could also be easily verified through mathematical proofs. While the second-hand claims are also important in the theory of knowledge, they are majorly based on knowledge and could thus be prone to knowledge biases. For example, the claim “renaissance art is less meaningful compared to modern art” is a second-hand claim as it involves the knowledge of the meaningfulness of Modern and Renaissance art. To verify the validity of this claim, the knowledge in the field of art is required. This knowledge could be attained through experts’ opinions, textbooks, news media or cultural traditions which may be biased. Hence, I would prefer the first-hand knowledge claim to the second-hand knowledge claim (McCrickard 10).
In conclusion, knowledge claims are important aspects of the theory of knowledge which need critical examination before one gains a deeper understanding of a certain field of knowledge. A mixture of content and detail is thus crucial for the full understanding of an area of knowledge. Of the two types of knowledge claims, the first-hand knowledge claims could be more reliable as they involve claims about the world which could easily be validated. Second-hand knowledge claims may be based on the knowledge or authority of others and could not be easily verifiable. In any case, critical thinking and understanding of knowledge claims are crucial towards the understanding of any area of knowledge.
References
Bastian, Sue. Theory of Knowledge. , 2014. Print.
Lehrer, Keith. Theory of knowledge. Routledge, 2015.
McCrickard, D S. Making Claims: Knowledge Design, Capture, and Sharing in HCI. San Rafael, Calif. (1537 Fourth Street, San Rafael, CA 94901 USA: Morgan & Claypool, 2012. Internet resource.