What constraints are there on the pursuit of knowledge?

The TOK prompt that I have selected is “What constraints are there on the pursuit of knowledge?”. This exhibition explores this prompt by highlighting the core theme knowledge and knower and highlighting how the limitations of epistemology emphasize the constraints of knowledge acquisition. The idea of finding truth and knowledge has been the goal of mankind ever since the discoveries of stone tools, various geographical locations, science, etc. Blind sighted by the goal of the pursuit of knowledge, the limitations of knowledge acquisition are often ignored and we as humans can only get closer to the goal once we understand what exactly these limitations are– in other words the constraints on the pursuit of knowledge.

These eggs were handcrafted and created by a jewellery firm called the House of Fabergé during the period 1885 – 1917 under the order of emperor Alexander III of Russia made for his wife empress Maria Feodorovna as a present. The eggs contain rich history of art, gemstones and precious metals and are considered “the most exquisite and beautiful objects in the world”. A total number of 50-54 imperial eggs were created by emperor alexander and his successors out of eight of them have gone missing, making these lost eggs worth around thirty three million.

 

These eggs are particularly interesting for this exhibition because of the large amounts of knowledge and value they represent in today’s world as the emblem of opulence. With approximately eight eggs missing in a world of advanced technology show the limitations of epistemology. To keep the eggs safe from theft, the women sewed them into their clothes. The main limitations include the lack of access to technology and proper technological supervision of the eggs. These limitations can be categorised as technological constraints. The inexistence of systems and technology made it difficult to keep track of these eggs. Moreover, by highlighting this constraint in the example of Fabergé eggs show how this type of constraint curbs the goal of epistemology.

 

These eggs also enrich this exhibition because these artifacts are “unique works of art steeped in royalty, love, mystery and political intrigue”, not only are people intrigued by these artifacts because they contain precious stones and metals but because of the meaning each egg represents. For, instance each egg has its own design, story represents different meaning like love, rebirth and love. The artifact’s significance in history is the reason we understand the constraints on the pursuit of knowledge.

This object is an article which covers the story of who jack the ripper was. The article talks about Jack the ripper, an unidentified English serial killer who rose to fame because of his killings between 3^rd April 1888 to 13^th February 1891 around the Whitechapel district.

 

This object is fascinating for this exhibition because of the horrifying brutal nature of the crimes. It was one of the first well-publicized and widely known serial killing. With this murder receiving a lot of media focus, a lot of assumptions and misbeliefs began to arise, leading to a fallacy. This type of constraint of knowledge can be called a fallacious constraint. The main limitation here is the disruption of the truth which caused an obstruction in the pursuit of real knowledge. Furthermore, by underscoring this constraint in the example of Jack the Ripper shows how this constraint supresses the aim of epistemology.

 

This article enriches the exhibition because he was the first recorded serial killer whose killings not only shocked Britain but also other countries, these killings have also instigated the media’s attention to the poor living conditions of the people living in the east end slums.

 

It also opened the eyes of the people to a whole new world of homicide. The significance and brutality of these murders are why we need to understand the constraints on the pursuit of knowledge.

This book Without you, there is no us Undercover among the Sons of North Korea’s Elite is a “chilling memoir” written by the Korean American author Suki Kim in the year 2011. She goes undercover as an English teacher at North Koreas only private university – Pyongyang University who only accept elite men as their students. The author talks about a regimented lifestyle lead by the people. She also mentions life there is very lonely and depressing.

 

This object is intriguing because North Korea is a very repressive country which fails to promote economics rights. All the information that is released about the country is unreliable and suki explains she is always depicted a fake reality of life. The constraint of knowledge here can be called a legislative constraint because of the lack of access due to theoppressive  totalitarian dictatorship in the country. The main limitation here is the authoritative nature of the government of the country which represses its citizens. Additionally, by underlining this constraint in the example of the book shows how this constraint limits objective of epistemology.

 

The book enriches this exhibition because it displays the truth of a country where human rights are strictly controlled. The fact that this book depicts how the author got into this highly monitored country undercover and got out to write a book shocked its readers worldwide. Nevertheless, this is very little percent of what we know about the country, the rest is a mystery. The unfamiliarity of this country proves the constraint of knowledge here and shows why we need to understand the pursuit of knowledge.

Lesser, Casey. “A Brief History of the Fabergé Egg | Artsy.” A Brief History of the Fabergé Egg | Artsy, www.artsy.net, 15 Nov. 2017, https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial- history-faberge-egg.

 

“Suki Kim’s ‘Without You, There Is No Us’ (Published 2014).” Suki Kim’s ‘Without You, There Is No Us’ (Published 2014), www.nytimes.com, 11 Dec. 2014, https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/books/review/suki-kims-without-you-there-is-no- us.html.

 

North, Jen. “Jack The Ripper: The Unsolved Mystery Of History’s Most Infamous Serial Killer | by Jen North | History of Yesterday.” Medium, historyofyesterday.com, 18 Aug. 2021, https://historyofyesterday.com/jack-the-ripper-the-unsolved-mystery-of-historys-most- infamous-serial-killer-56e8739f6254.

 

“What We Know About Jack The Ripper (And What Is Still A Mystery).” TheTravel, www.thetravel.com, 1 May 2020, https://www.thetravel.com/jack-the-ripper-what-we-know/.

 

Nast, Condé, and @BritishVogue. “A History Of The Fabergé Egg.” British Vogue, www.vogue.co.uk, 20 Nov. 2021, https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/history- of-faberge-egg.

 

BookBrowse. “Without You, There Is No Us by Suki Kim: Summary and Reviews.” BookBrowse.com, https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/3145/without-you- there-is-no-us.

 

Davies-Evitt, Dora. “Have US Officials Found One of the Missing Fabergé Eggs on Board a Seized Russian Yacht?” Tatler, Tatler, 28 July 2022, https://www.tatler.com/article/us- officials-find-missing-faberge-eggs-on-board-a-seized-russian-yacht.

 

Davies-Evitt, Dora. “Have US Officials Found One of the Missing Fabergé Eggs on Board a Seized Russian Yacht?” Tatler, Tatler, 28 July 2022, https://www.tatler.com/article/us- officials-find-missing-faberge-eggs-on-board-a-seized-russian-yacht.

 

Roller, Sarah. “The Mystery of the Missing Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs.” History Hit, History Hit, 17 Nov. 2021, https://www.historyhit.com/the-mystery-of-the-missing- faberge-imperial-easter-eggs/.