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Prescribed Title 6: “Avoiding bias seems a commendable goal, but this fails to recognize
the positive role that bias can play in the pursuit of knowledge.” Discuss this statement
with reference to two areas of knowledge.
Word count: 1593 words
Open-mindedness and liberalism are seen as important traits to possess in today’s rapidly
diversifying world. This concept is also upheld in the IB, where being open-minded is valued as
one of the attributes of an IB learner. Bias manifests itself in many different forms, but here I
relate bias to how one views things and forms opinions, and can be defined as a prejudice against
an idea or a thing that is often without a sound rationale. The presence of bias can prevent the
knower from seeing things for what they really are, obstructing the acquisition of knowledge in
its raw form to take place. From this view it seems obvious that avoiding bias is a commendable
goal, as the knower seeks to acquire raw, unfiltered knowledge in all areas of knowledge.
However, I doubted that the answer would be black-and-white, leading me to question the
validity of this claim. Humans are historical beings and it is impossible for a knower to view the
world objectively. Prior knowledge and the biases formed through it inevitably influence a
knower in the pursuit of new knowledge. This influence manifests itself differently in different
AOKs; for instance the human sciences aim to understand human behavior and find objective
truth using reasoning, and bias can be detrimental to this process of finding objective knowledge.
In contrast, the Arts aim to represent the artist’s perspective through an amalgamation of
personal and shared knowledge, and the use of bias in the form of emotion and intuition aids the
knower’s understanding of the message of the artwork, guiding them in the pursuit of
knowledge. By exploring the chosen title with the AOKs of Human Sciences and the Arts, I
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have explained how bias hinders the pursuit of knowledge in its raw form, but alternatively, can
also play an essential role in acquiring new, original knowledge that is just as valuable.
In the human sciences, maintaining an objective view while forming a conclusion about
something is essential, as the sciences seek to get as close to the truth as possible. Bias can limit
the ability of the knower to see the truth. In psychological research, researchers and
participants are highly influenced by their cognitive biases, personal values, emotions and
intuitions that can distort knowledge, making it harder to form valid conclusions. For example,
culture bias or ethnocentrism occurs when other cultures are judged and evaluated based on the
standard of one’s own culture, which leads to perceiving other cultures in a biased light. The
infamous intelligence tests developed in the US by Robert Yerkes’ in 1917 required a certain
level of education and understanding of American culture to answer, due to which certain groups
of society had an unfair disadvantage while answering the test (Gould, 1981). Eugenicists argued
that the overall intelligence of the population was lowering due to interbreeding with these sects
of society and this argument was used to support forced sterilization in America (Reddy, 2008).
As a result of biased research, inaccurate knowledge is produced and insight into the truth is
hampered. This is especially important in scientific fields as available knowledge is used to
guide the pursuit of new knowledge in research. Especially since blind faith is often put into the
reliability of information from experts, the incorrect knowledge can be widely accepted as the
truth, leading to further problems in the pursuit of knowledge in the long run.
Recognizing biases can instead provide a basis for gaining new knowledge, leading
to intellectual progress and greatly benefiting the process of knowledge production. If there
is a predisposed bias to a conclusion being made in the human sciences, this can be recognized
and rectified to form new and more accurate knowledge. In response to the Western cultural bias
Prescribed Title 6: “Avoiding bias seems a commendable goal, but this fails to recognize
the positive role that bias can play in the pursuit of knowledge.” Discuss this statement
with reference to two areas of knowledge.
Word count: 1593 words
Open-mindedness and liberalism are seen as important traits to possess in today’s rapidly
diversifying world. This concept is also upheld in the IB, where being open-minded is valued as
one of the attributes of an IB learner. Bias manifests itself in many different forms, but here I
relate bias to how one views things and forms opinions, and can be defined as a prejudice against
an idea or a thing that is often without a sound rationale. The presence of bias can prevent the
knower from seeing things for what they really are, obstructing the acquisition of knowledge in
its raw form to take place. From this view it seems obvious that avoiding bias is a commendable
goal, as the knower seeks to acquire raw, unfiltered knowledge in all areas of knowledge.
However, I doubted that the answer would be black-and-white, leading me to question the
validity of this claim. Humans are historical beings and it is impossible for a knower to view the
world objectively. Prior knowledge and the biases formed through it inevitably influence a
knower in the pursuit of new knowledge. This influence manifests itself differently in different
AOKs; for instance the human sciences aim to understand human behavior and find objective
truth using reasoning, and bias can be detrimental to this process of finding objective knowledge.
In contrast, the Arts aim to represent the artist’s perspective through an amalgamation of
personal and shared knowledge, and the use of bias in the form of emotion and intuition aids the
knower’s understanding of the message of the artwork, guiding them in the pursuit of
knowledge. By exploring the chosen title with the AOKs of Human Sciences and the Arts, I
, 2
have explained how bias hinders the pursuit of knowledge in its raw form, but alternatively, can
also play an essential role in acquiring new, original knowledge that is just as valuable.
In the human sciences, maintaining an objective view while forming a conclusion about
something is essential, as the sciences seek to get as close to the truth as possible. Bias can limit
the ability of the knower to see the truth. In psychological research, researchers and
participants are highly influenced by their cognitive biases, personal values, emotions and
intuitions that can distort knowledge, making it harder to form valid conclusions. For example,
culture bias or ethnocentrism occurs when other cultures are judged and evaluated based on the
standard of one’s own culture, which leads to perceiving other cultures in a biased light. The
infamous intelligence tests developed in the US by Robert Yerkes’ in 1917 required a certain
level of education and understanding of American culture to answer, due to which certain groups
of society had an unfair disadvantage while answering the test (Gould, 1981). Eugenicists argued
that the overall intelligence of the population was lowering due to interbreeding with these sects
of society and this argument was used to support forced sterilization in America (Reddy, 2008).
As a result of biased research, inaccurate knowledge is produced and insight into the truth is
hampered. This is especially important in scientific fields as available knowledge is used to
guide the pursuit of new knowledge in research. Especially since blind faith is often put into the
reliability of information from experts, the incorrect knowledge can be widely accepted as the
truth, leading to further problems in the pursuit of knowledge in the long run.
Recognizing biases can instead provide a basis for gaining new knowledge, leading
to intellectual progress and greatly benefiting the process of knowledge production. If there
is a predisposed bias to a conclusion being made in the human sciences, this can be recognized
and rectified to form new and more accurate knowledge. In response to the Western cultural bias
