International Baccalaureate

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TOK Essay May 2022
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Word Count: 1,553
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“Can there be knowledge that is independent of culture? Discuss with
reference to mathematics and one other area of knowledge.”

Candidate Code: jwv556

“A people without knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without

roots”, a quote once stated by Marcus Garvey, late Jamaican activist. This quote indicates that

without the roots of culture, knowledge will have no foundation nor stance. So, events that occur

which are specific to an individual, cultural group, or nation, will have knowledge that is shaped

by their cultural perspective. However, knowledge can be independent from culture, meaning

that certain understandings of concepts or events can be universally accepted or acknowledged,

without having cultural associations. In this essay, I will discuss that knowledge is indeed

dependent on culture, where the different perspectives and interpretations that derive from one’s

culture is related to the knowledge produced. This will be discussed by using the two areas of

knowledge: Mathematics and Human Sciences.

Certain mathematical knowledge is influenced by one's culture, since one's beliefs or way

of life influence how mathematics is interpreted. According to the Oxford dictionary,

mathematics is the science of numbers, quantities and space. It can either be an abstract concept

or it can be applied onto disciplines. The discipline ethnomathematics is the study of the

relationship between math and culture and when applying this discipline onto real-world events,

it can be seen that the production of mathematics derives from cultural values or events.

For example, there is a clear relationship between the construction of Japanese Origami

and Japanese culture. The Japanese believed that the creases made when folding the paper had a

meaning behind it. When a paper reaches 1,000 folds, a person’s wish would come true. Origami

makers always ask questions that are mathematical in nature, and in 1990 mathematician Robert

Lang answered some of these mathematical questions using a software machine he created.
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Using his knowledge on geometry, which is the basis of Japanese origami, he was able to find a

way to complete the “1,000 fold” so people’s wishes can come true. Accordingly, it could be

argued there is a relationship between knowledge and culture, as the knowledge mathematicians

have about geometry allowed for the 1,000 fold to be achieved. Such knowledge is culturally

mediated, since without its associated myth (the coming true of a wish), learning how to create a

“1,000 fold” origami figure would be less appealing. In turn this would have slowed down the

development of geometric knowledge in Japan. In this context, the knowledge produced from

Japanese culture through the creation of origami demonstrates that both culture and knowledge

are dependent on each other.

Furthermore, it can be seen that the production of knowledge is dependent on culture

through the Ancient Egyptians’ numerical system. This system consisted of base tens and the

zero was non-existent. The ancient Egyptians would add the multiples of the bases to reach

larger numbers, so zero as a placeholder was unneeded. This system was influenced by their

day-to-day activities and surroundings. Engineering and architectural practices were also heavily

influenced by their surroundings. The Great Pyramids of Giza for example, had the base

represent the idea of a zero upon which levels would be added. This indicates that the knowledge

that they produced was dependent on their way of life and surroundings, especially something

they mastered over the years. Without such culture or ways of life, the knowledge behind their

mathematics would not have been as significant as it is seen today.

On the other hand, the production of knowledge may derive from several different places

that have different cultures. For instance, Pascal's triangle was first discovered by Jia Xian in the
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11th century. However, it was also discovered by French mathematician Blaise Pascal who

“marketed” this mathematical tool. Both cultural backgrounds discovered this knowledge using

different methods yet both came to the same conclusion. This demonstrates that knowledge is

culture-independent because, despite the fact that two different cultural backgrounds had

different perspectives in developing such knowledge, the final answer was the same. The final

product showed consensus despite differing viewpoints. This shows that knowledge is not

dependent on culture, because whatever cultural knowledge was used to assist in developing

such mathematical tools, both mathematicians came to the same conclusion.

The production of laws and rules are used to validate actions that occur within society.

For the knowledge behind laws and rules to be created, society uses their cultural understanding.

For this, my second AOK is human sciences, which is the study of human phenomena in terms

of the philosophical, biological, social, and cultural aspects of human life. The determination of

whether an event is accepted or not depends on knowledge that derives from culture, and in this

case, specifically religious knowledge.

The first example is the concept of cultural relativism which is the determination of

whether an action is “right” or “wrong” by evaluating it according to the ethical standards of

society within which the action occurs. Honor Killings is when any dominant male figure

intentionally harms a female relative through murder, because she has committed an act that

refutes their religion or cultural beliefs. This mostly occurs in Arab regions. Due to an Arab’s

cultural and religious beliefs, they use their knowledge to justify killing their female relatives.

Honor killings are not seen as a violation of human rights to most Arabs due to their cultural
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views that men are superior over women, and they have the ability to purify women through

violence. These understandings derive from the religious beliefs that men should protect women

as an entity. This however, has led to the assumption that if a woman tarnishes the honor of a

male relative, he has the right to kill her. For such reason, knowledge is indeed dependent on

culture, as the validity behind these killings will never be understood to other cultures, due to

their opposing religious and cultural beliefs, where it is perceived as murder.

On the other hand, knowledge can be independent of culture as there are basic rights that

are universally agreed upon. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was developed in the

United States, where government officials agreed upon the set rights that every person should be

granted regardless of his/her culture. Even though the UDHR was developed in the West, most

articles are universally accepted, due to the fact that the knowledge behind them represents basic

human needs. An example of this would be article 25, which describes the basic necessities for

an individual, including food, water and shelter. The association to culture is unneeded here

because everyone embraces rather intuitively the knowledge that these are rights all people must

have. This opposes the concept of cultural relativism that was previously discussed, showing that

knowledge is not dependent on culture, since sometimes what is right or wrong can be evaluated

on a universal level.

Another example of how knowledge is dependent on cultural is people’s different views

on same-sex marriage. The knowledge people gain from their respective religion or culture

affects the way they perceive controversial topics such as whether the LGBTQ+ community

should have the right to marry or not. Same-sex marriage is completely frowned upon in some
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countries, whereas in other countries the concept is more ackowledged and accepted. However,

there are always a few individuals who do not accept same-sex marriage irrespective of their

country’s cultural or religious beliefs. This shows that there is an individuality to knowledge and

its dependence on culture. Same-sex marriage has always been a controversial topic, because of

every person’s cultural views and how that shapes their knowledge of this topic. This means that

knowledge is dependent on culture, because different cultures lead to different perspectives and

there are many perspectives on the topic of same-sex marriage.

In spite of those beliefs, cultures that strictly perceive same-sex marriage as forbidden

still have people that are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Even though they are aware of their

culture’s perspective on the gay community, they are still “members” because of their sexual

orientation. People who originate from areas such as the Middle East, Russia or China are also a

part of the gay community, and are considered to be of two communities that are not related to

each other whatsoever. The knowledge they acquire is independent from the knowledge their

culture or religion acquires in terms of whether to accept the gay community or not, due to their

individual beliefs and sexual orientation. This indicates that knowledge in fact can be

independent of culture, because people whose cultures perceive same-sex marriage as forbidden

does not always affect an individual’s knowledge whether the LGBTQ+ community is accepted

or not.

Culture is the basis of an individual’s knowledge, meaning that almost all knowledge a

person acquires is molded after a particular cultural background. While this is largely true, it

does not negate that universal knowledge could exist outside the realm of culture. For, culturally

mediated knowledge derives its basis, logic and development from a series of cultural
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experiences and practices that validate and sustain it across generations of people who share that

culture. This allows those people to live harmoniously within their particular cultural sphere.

Similarly, universal knowledge that is independent of culture derives its epistemological basis

from some humanitarian and scientific principles that apply to all people and natural phenomena

irrespective of culture, allowing all humans to share and experience this knowledge equally

among them.
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Works Cited:

Baron, Sam. “Pythagoras' Revenge: Humans Didn't Invent Mathematics, It's What the World Is

Made Of.” The Conversation, 22 Nov. 2021,

https://theconversation.com/pythagoras-revenge-humans-didnt-invent-mathematics-its-w

hat-the-world-is-made-of-172034.

Uchitani, Azumi. “Meaning of the Origami Crane.” Uncover Art of Japan, 2021,

https://www.japanesesalon.nl/2016/09/11/meaning-of-the-origami-crane/.

Adamczyk, Amy. “Why Are Some Places Gay-Friendly and Not Others?” BBC News, BBC, 28

May 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/health-48337639.

Bidny, Sophia. The History of Zero Sophia Bidny - Kobotis.net. 2014,

http://kobotis.net/math/MathematicalWorlds/Fall2014/131/Presentations/pdf/BidnyS_p1.

pdf.

Ali, Kecia. “The Feminist Sexual Ethics Project.” Honor Killings, Illicit Sex, and Islamic Law |

Muslim Sexual Ethics | The Feminist Sexual Ethics Project | Brandeis University, 2003,

https://www.brandeis.edu/projects/fse/muslim/honor.html.
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