High School: G11 & 12 - TOK: Knowledge and the Knower

Winston Smith, a worker at the Ministry of Truth in the future political entity of Oceania, puts his life on the line when he joins a covert brotherhood in rebelling against the Party that controls all human thought and action.

"In troubled times, there is an urgency to understand ourselves and our world. We have so many questions, and they tug at us night and day, consciously and unconsciously. In this important volume Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh... reveals an art of living in mindfulness that helps us answer life's deepest questions and experience the happiness and freedom we desire"--Jacket flap.

Presents a study of how people think without thinking, looking at the brain processes involved in making snap decisions, discussing why some people seem to have great instincts while others consistently choose unwisely, and examining ways to control the process.

Told in two voices, fifteen-year-old Copper struggles to confront inevitable and enormous change after his father's death and his uncle writes to him in a journal, sharing knowledge and advice in 1937 Japan.

"When asked simple questions about global trends--what percentage of the world's population live in poverty; why the world's population is increasing; how many girls finish school--we systematically get the answers wrong. So wrong that a chimpanzee choosing answers at random will consistently outguess teachers, journalists, Nobel laureates, and investment bankers"--Jacket flap.

A series of stories by Italian author Italo Calvino in which explorer Marco Polo diverts the aging Kublai Kahn from thoughts about the impending demise of his empire by describing the many amazing cities he has seen on his travels--diverse places that are, in the end, all the same.

Examines the meaning of justice in a variety of situations and asks the reader to morally and politically reflect on each topic.

What is knowledge? How does it differ from mere belief? Can we know that the outer world is real and not a dream? Epistemology is the branch of philosophy devoted to answering questions like these. This Very Short Introduction explores classical and contemporary epistemology, covering topics from ancient relativism and scepticism to the trustworthiness on internet sources. Using intuitive examples and ideas from linguistics and psychology, as well as philosophy, Jennifer Nagel explains what we now know about knowledge.

Pi Patel, having spent an idyllic childhood in Pondicherry, India, as the son of a zookeeper, sets off with his family at the age of sixteen to start anew in Canada, but his life takes a marvelous turn when their ship sinks in the Pacific, leaving him adrift on a raft with a 450-pound Bengal tiger for company.

An intelligently truthful book that explores the uneven landscape of the human intellect. An accessible introduction to philosophy, this book narrows the gap between the general reader and intellectual inquiry. Its points are illustrated with concrete examples that should call the reader to a higher level of critical thinking and self-perception.

Explores neurological disorders and their effects upon the minds and lives of those affected.

Chronicles the life of Paul Farmer, focusing on his efforts to diagnose and cure infectious diseases and to bring modern medicine to the countries and people who need them most.

Thirty-one-year-old Kathy, along with old friends from Hailsham, a private school in England, are forced to face the truth about their childhood when they all come together again.

The authors examines the decisions that people as a whole make regarding their finances and health, and offer suggestions on how to make it easier for people to make more beneficial choices.

Rare book expert Hanna Heath discovers a number of tiny artifacts hidden within the binding of a fifteenth-century Hebrew manuscript and begins to unravel the mysteries behind its past.

One evening in an outdoor Lahore cafe, a bearded Pakistani man called Changez, tells a nervous American stranger about his love affair with America.

Explores the history of human beings.

Describes mental models that can be used for making decisions and understanding complex situations.

Explains the two systems that drive the way we think; system one is fast, intuitive, and emotional, and system two is slower, deliberative, and logical and discusses how the two systems shape our judgments and decisions.

Tomas, a hopeless philanderer and successful surgeon, flees Prague when the Russians invade in 1968 and heads for Switzerland where he must provide for himself and his lover by working as a window washer.

A philosophical book that explores the meaning of quality through a motorcycle road trip.

Examines the meaning of justice in a variety of situations and asks the reader to morally and politically reflect on each topic.