IB Theory of Knowledge Visit to the University of King’s College — Issue 23

The IB Theory of Knowledge class recently spent the day at the University of King’s College in Halifax, taking part in two academic lectures and a campus visit. The morning began with a lecture led by Dr. Daniel Brandes, who explored the relationship between truth and politics, drawing on Hannah Arendt, George Orwell, and Plato. Students were presented with ideas related to the ways political life interacts with factual truth, how ideologies shape what people take to be real, and what responsibilities individuals have in preserving a shared world grounded in truth.

 

After the first lecture, the class enjoyed lunch in the King’s dining hall before taking a guided tour of the campus. Students had the chance to see key buildings, learn about the university’s academic programs, and gain a sense of student life at King’s. The tour was also an excellent opportunity for students to learn more about the shared history of King’s-Edgehill School and the University of King’s College.

 

The afternoon concluded with a second lecture focused on the question of what a poem can know. In this session, Dr. Tim Clarke compared different ways of knowing by examining science, philosophy, and poetry. Students were asked to contemplate how poetry creates knowledge through affect, experience, and imaginative insight, and how a poem functions as an object that reorders the way we see the world.

 

It was a pleasure to spend the day thinking about complex and compelling ideas with an outstanding group of young academics.

Susie DeCoste