Carmen asked:

I'm having trouble with a question on which i'm doing my 'theory of knowledge' essay. I must talk
about knowledge and I believe the question is about belief, truth and epistemology but I don't know
the answer. Maybe you could tell me what it addresses specifically and what you believe is the
answer. Here it is:

"Is a knower's personal point of view an asset or an obstacle to be overcome in his pursuit of
knowledge?"

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As a Theory of Knowledge teacher, my first comment is to say that nobody is looking for 'the answer'
to this question. What is wanted is your answer. That is a different thing. My second comment is that
you have 10 questions to choose from. If you don't understand this one, you should look for another
you do understand.

Having said that, here is some guidance. Every person has a point of view. We have a history, a set
of experiences, a culture, a place in society and so on. We see the world from this perspective,
influenced by all these, and other, factors. What you see as a chaotic scrabble of people on a large
oval piece of grass, I see as a great game of Aussie Rules footy.

The question here is: does this existing set of experiences, knowledge and beliefs aid you in gaining
knowledge, or does it hinder you? You should also think about whether your answer would differ if the
sort of knowledge you were after was of a different sort. Does your background make it easier to
understand football matches and harder to understand integral calculus? Think about the different
Ways of Knowing you have studied in your course.

Above all, remember the following questions lie behind this essay topic: What is your view? How
would you support that view?

Tim Sprod