Theory of Knowledge
Talk about Theory of Knowledge.
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If you want help with prescribed TOK Essay titles, check this thread to see if your title has an existing thread first. Only when a thread does not already exist for your title can you start a new thread about TOK prescribed titles. Put the exam session and the title number in the thread title (e.g Nov09/May10 Title 5)
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2,043 topics in this forum
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Skip to these useful links: 1. ToK Presentation Guide by Keel 2. How to pick your TOK presentation title by Sandwich 3. Past TOK Presentations - what people chose ToK Presentation Guide Knowledge Issues 'Knowledge issue' i.e. issues about knowledge. It would be appropriate here to consider what ToK is all about. Many naturally assume that anything philosophically based is ToK. Understandable, but wrong. ToK is based around three main questions: What is knowledge? How is knowledge acquired? How do we know what we know? In layman’s terms, a knowledge issue is a very general question which aims to explore the problems of kn…
Last reply by BLucky, -
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Skip to useful links: Video Summary of TOK (workshop) To every confused soul out there who is yet to start their first year in IB and fear the nice philosophical subject of TOK. This here thread is me explaining to you what exactly this subject is:). What is TOK? The Theory of knowledge is a minor branch of Philosophy which, when learned, enables one to think about and evaluate the knowledge that we gain rather than just accept it as "truth". In English: we learn how to not be suckers and believe everything we're told . Why go through the pain and agony of learning it? Well basically, because the IBO says so But really, after my IB experience I've realized the…
Last reply by Sarah Egan, -
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Skip to the correct section by clicking the links below: 1. How to choose your essay topic: the things to keep in mind by Ishaan 2. Basic guide to writing the essay by Julie 3. 5 Things to do Before you Finish your TOK Essay
Last reply by _emmma_, -
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Hello noob TOKers This thread contains links to the discussion topics for TOK titles. Please consult the following list and skip to the list of titles for the year you are interested in, and then click on the link to find the discussion. If there is no discussion topics listed for that title, please have a quick look at the TOK board and, if one really doesn't exist, post a new one. Thanks! November 2014 May 2014 November 2013">November 2013 May 2013 November 2012 Nov11/May12 Nov10/May11 Nov09/May10 Nov08/May09 Nov07/May08 Nov06/May07 Note: Until November 2012, 12 titles were released each year to be used in both November and May sessions. From November 2012 on…
Last reply by cricketcrazynerd, -
I just wanted to see what the general consensus around here was regarding the IB's 6 and a halfth subject - Theory of Knowledge. I know it has some fans, while others would rather stab themselves repeatedly in the foot 1600 times than write a 1600 word essay about how the Ways of Knowing tell them that the aforementioned activity would be very painful. So - tell us what you think, TOK: yay or nay?
Last reply by dniviE, -
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Nov11/May12 #7 "The vocabulary we have does more than communicate our knowledge; it shapes what we can know." 1 2 3 4 5
by jonathan810- 89 replies
- 41k views
For my TOK essay I choose this question: "The vocabulary we have does more than communicate our knowledge; it shapes what we can know." Evaluate this claim with reference to different areas of knowledge. However, my problem is that I cant think of points for this topic.. Can anyone help? Thanks in advance
Last reply by JonathanSpencer, -
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Hello, I am curious about what you did your TOK presentation on. What are some tips that you would give to those who still have to do one. Please share your experience, that would be extremely helpful. Thank you.
Last reply by EleniHous, -
Hi I am planning to start writing my TOK Essay on this topic (#3), and I thought a discussion or a little brainstorming would probably give me and everyone else who has chosen this topic a relatively good start
Last reply by pieee, -
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With my full ib schedule, i don't start TOK until next semester and my other classes already give me a fair amount of work. should i expect a lot of homework/ studying requirments for my TOK class?
Last reply by tank85, -
Hi everyone! We haven't actually started really looking at the TOK essay titles in detail or anything yet, but I was looking at this one and I'm thinking that I'd really like to do my TOK essay on this title, and with regards to literature, possibly. If anyone has any suggestions on how to approach it, or just general things to watch out for, they would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Last reply by MagicSophie, -
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Do you guys have any ideas for this topic: 'It is more important to discover new ways of thinking about what is already known than to discover new data or facts'. To what extent would you agree with this claim? Any ideas would be great ThAnKs!!!!
Last reply by MagicSophie, -
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My ToK teacher happens to also teach the maths. Interesting combination seeing as how ToK supposedly has no right answer whereas there is only so much room for discussion in math (the noob type anyway). This kind of translates to our ToK lessons where I often feel that she takes whatever point someone tries to make and twists it into the "correct" answer. Fortunately there's a load of journals where no one can talk back The times when we do manage to initiate a randomish-sorta-on-the-topicish discussion feel like victories How's your experience with ToK (yes, I insist on the o being lowercase) teachers?
Last reply by avrila, -
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I go to a US school, and we have NO class period for this TOK thing so, i was wondering if people around the world have a class, or is it just stupid americans who do not realise that a class for a core subject would be really helpful?? :innocent:
Last reply by Leen, -
Heyy guys! Was just wishing to discuss this Question "Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of using faith as a basis for knowledge in religion and in one area of knowledge from the ToK diagram." Any ideas on how to approach?
Last reply by gianinaivodie, -
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"In expanding the field of knowledge we but increase the horizon of ignorance" - Henry Miller Is this true? Thoughts on the subject, examples, or counter-arguments? Just looking to get a second opinion.
Last reply by Chelleee, -
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Im about half way through my first year in the IB and not sure about what it is that we are meant to be learning in TOK. We've done a bit on empirical testing, metaphors, symbollism, generalisations and topics like that. We've also looked at 'The Matrix' and sence perception. Is this the same type of thing that everyone else is learning. I guess im just not sure because I've never taken a class like this before and im not sure what to expect. Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks a million
Last reply by Mattias, -
Using history and at least one other area of knowledge,examine the claim that it is possible to attain knowledge despite problems of bias and selection. Are there any ideas for this essay topic? The AOKs I was planning on using along with history were Art and Science
Last reply by Eastcoast93, -
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TOK Presentations 1 2 3
by Guest Mr Canada- 46 replies
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At our school we get 2 opportunities for TOK presentations. I sat and saw the DP2's presentations and I got quite a few topic examples. Global Warming --- (don't know the issues yet but will get back to that later) 2008 Olympics - Boycott or Not? --- History, past decisions on when to boycott, and Ethics, how the Chinese treat their people GreenPeace - Morally Justified? --- Reason/Emotion, how do the activist justify their actions, Is cloning good or bad --- Ethics, is it ethical to clone living things, Language, what do they use for terms when speaking about cloning i.e positive or negative.
Last reply by bianalveiro161, -
Hi everyone i needed help to think of a few supporting points and evidence for my ToK final essay. The question i chose to do my paper on is: "Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge." i know the question seems easy enough and i already got part of my intro done, but im really bad when it comes to essays and ToK is not my best subject. All replys will be helpful! Thx a lot.
Last reply by marangecillo, -
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I love optical illusions. They're this eternal fascination for me. These are not animated: Looking up or down? This is cool: Some classic ones:
Last reply by FD77, -
hi all, i am planning to my TOK essay on "There are no absolute distinctions between what is true and what is false. Discuss this claim" but i am struggling with the intro... where can i start??? please help
Last reply by Jordz16, -
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November 2007 May 2008, Title 10 1 2 3
by Guest Zorae42- 42 replies
- 13k views
10. “Context is all” (Margaret Atwood). Does this mean that there is no such thing as truth? I'm doing question 10 for May 2008 TOK. I want to first define 'truth', and I need help with that... Then, I know what I want to write, I simply can't order it and make it flow.. I personally believe that context changes interpretation of the truth, not the truth itself... And I can give examples in History, Art, Science, and Math (Statistics)... Also, I can talk about how by definition, perception is our interpretation of the world. And that it may be flawed, and therefore what we assume is truth isn't truth, but that doesn't change the fact that the truth does exist... Also, …
Last reply by cixelsyD, -
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Can someone please help me in finding efficient examples. If i have this then I can write a paragrah around it...its wierd i know, most have a topic then they find an example..jeje what i was planning on doing was first define reason, then two paragraphs on strengths then two on weaknesses and finally in my conlusion what i think..how does that sound? can i get a decent grade with this outline? anything you can tell my will help! thank youu!!
Last reply by LiveLifeToTheFullest, -
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How would you tackle the following prescribed ToK title? "When should we trust our senses to give us truth?" I'm quite stuck with what examples should be used. I'm a scientific kind of person and can only think of examples in the areas of chemistry and physics. Which other examples could I use? Presently, I believe that our senses will always give us truth, but I am also having trouble in finding counter-claims. I'm not sure how to start the essay and I'm also afraid I will end up answering whether we should use our senses, instead of when. How can I avoid this slip? I would appreciate any help. Thanks
Last reply by m711, -
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hello i am struggling with the TOK essay...lol my essay topic is "we see and understand things not as they are but as we are" discuss this claim in relation to at least 2 ways of knowing i'm thinking of using perception, emotion, and reason... does anyone have any suggestions or advice? plz help...... =( :'( and is this a good thesis statement? The way we view things differs from what they really are because when we try to understand them, our perception, reason and emotion take place without our notice. thank you soooo much
Last reply by Linja, -
Hey! I've chosen to write on the 4th prescribed title for TOK Nov 2010, May 2011. "To what extent do we need evidence to support our beliefs in different areas of knowledge?" I need some help with creating a knowledge issue for this topic. Does anyone have ideas? Also, I'm planning on using the following areas of knowledge: the arts, natural sciences, human sciences, and ethics. Do I need to reference any Ways of Knowing in my paper? Would these ways of knowing count as evidence, as mentioned in the title? Does anyone have a good definition for evidence? I was thinking of saying that it had to be objective empirical evidence just to put some sort of parameters on th…
Last reply by Alaskan49er, -
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I find this IB tok essay to be the most interesting question for Nov 11/ May 12. Thoughts and ideas on it?
Last reply by Mohamad Khairudin Abd Gani, -
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Hi i am not really sure of what the interpretation of this title is...can you please help me.. its prescribed title #1 "Science is built of facts the way a house is built of bricks: but an accumulation of facts is no more science than a pile of bricks is a house" (henri Poincare). Discuss in relation to science and atleast on other area of knowledge.
Last reply by helgacakes, -
Nov11/May12 #5 'What is it about theories in the human sciences and natural sciences that makes them convincing?' 1 2
by Eydie- 30 replies
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Any ideas would be appreciated! When it says 'human science', does it mean the humanity type areas, such as history, psychology, sociology etc? Do people think this is a good topic to write on in general?
Last reply by Mahya, -
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Does anyone know of any decent TOK textbooks/books? I'll start off by recommending: The Enterprise of Knowledge: A Source Book for Theory of Knowledge John L. Tomkinson Its good for all the TOK you need throughout the course. Of course TOK is about learning as an individual etc etc but I still think people need some guidance?
Last reply by tournedos, -
May 2014 4. “That which is accepted as knowledge today is sometimes discarded tomorrow.” 1 2
by mablibsking- 29 replies
- 53.5k views
Hello guys! I'm a new person on the forum. I need some help on the TOK Essay, as I'm kind of stuck. I agree with this claim. Firstly, I'm going to explore the wording of the question. Sometimes: This implies of some knowledge claims are discarded, and some stay. This relates to the word discarded, as how discarded might not really mean discarded as we know it. It could be like evolution, as old theories are constantly being "evolved" by new theories, they are discarded. But we can say they're not discarded, but rather, the old theories simply were assimilated within the new theories and "evolved." This would correlate to the sometimes thing, as some are completely disca…
Last reply by Royalyty, -
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The class, of course Sorta curious about what you lot have to say about it. Perhaps you'd like to share your expectations, assuming you haven't started in the DP. Or, assuming you're out, maybe you'd like to share with us some past experience. In any case, I'd love to hear your opinions.
Last reply by HopelessWanderer, -
Nov10/May11 #10 "A model is a simplified representation of some aspect of the world... search for knowledge?" 1 2
by Lance H- 28 replies
- 17.4k views
Hi there, I have decided to do the above topic for my TOK essay. I just want to run a few ideas past you to see if they will be ok. Semi structure: Define Search for Knowledge Newton/Einstein (Science) Newton old Eintsein new Newton low speeds Einstein everything Geographical Models (Social Science) Boserup/Malthus DTM Changed to suit newly evolving patterns Time dependant English Rules (Language) Always exceptions So diverse hard to have simplified model Maps (Language/Social Science anyone know???) Simplfied but not precise To have full precise 1:1 scale needed Christianity (Religion) BIBLE <- Controversial Way to 'perfect' live life - not real always Comm…
Last reply by suggaplum, -
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How is truth defined in art? how is it different from ethics and math? I'm a bit confused in arts Can someone elaborate on this?
Last reply by Tilia, -
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Ok, The first day I had TOK, all of my classmates walked in, you know we had the personna that "we knew everything!" So we sit down and our teacher tell us to take out our homework. Our homework over the break was to bring a rock, any size-any kind, to class. Then my teachers passes out a philosophy book and delicately instructs to read the first chapter. As she slowly walks up to the front of the class to sit on her stool, we begin to read. As we read, our teacher is laughing internally as she sees our faces shrivel and turn red. The chapter is about knowledge. The book litarally says, "How do you know that a rock exists. How do we know that there isnt some mad sci…
Last reply by Solarstorm, -
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hi.. im doing title 9 for Nov 2008 and May 2009. imi quite unsure of how to format the essay and dunno what possible counter claims there are... thks alot for any kind of hlp... Title 9: “The knowledge that we value the most is the knowledge for which we can provide the strongest justifications.” To what extent would you agree with this claim?
Last reply by beachluvr123, -
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I dun know if im the only one who feels like this, me and some of my friends thinks TOK lessons as a war field. Everyone know what TOK is, teacher bring up a wierd topic and then the rest of the class comes up with their opinion. But since everyone have their own opinion, when they listen to other peoples they thinks its wrong and a war of talkning will start. I still remeber that time I had my practics of TOK presentation in front of my class. I had the topic: "Can porn be called art? Are porn art?" That time i had 3 pics with me. one from playboy, one from a random artist and a piece of art from some artist(dun remember the name) And this topic become a disc…
Last reply by KiwiFruit, -
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Hi guys - I've been poking around and I haven't been able to find a forum for this but I thought it might be a good idea to have a worldwide discussion about the recently released theory of knowledge titles. Thought this might be a good idea so we can read other people's perspectives and perhaps see other aspects to look at. Let me know if this already exists and I'll take it down :/. “In gaining knowledge, each area of knowledge uses a network of ways of knowing.†Discuss this statement with reference to two areas of Knowledge. “Knowledge within a discipline develops according to the principles of natural selection.†How useful is this metaphor? “The knower’s…
Last reply by Vioh, -
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I have chosen to do essay title number 9, which states: Discuss the role of language and reason in history. My main claim on this title is that when language is manipulated, it affects the individual's ability to reason. This is by the means of teaching (Canadian teacher will usually mainly teach the Canadian perspective on WWII, so other perspectives unknown) and by the means of propaganda (manipulative language controls the person's ability to reason, such as in North Korea, WWII in Germany, US and Canada). But I am having difficulty coming up with counter-claims without sounding redundant.I am also having difficulty thinking of a third claim I can make. I thought of co…
Last reply by jayrobsah, -
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This is my first year in the IB program, and I don't get the point of TOK? Maybe its just my perspective on whats worth learning and whats not. I would like to hear your thoughts and etc... Thanks
Last reply by Where Love Died Laughing, -
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Are reason and emotion equally necessary in justifying moral decisions? Just thought I'd make a thread for this topic and see if anyone else is doing it. I'm finishing up my TOK essay today, but I'd be interested to see how other people have handled this one.
Last reply by deissi, -
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Does anyone here know what the prescribed titles in TOK for 2013 is? One of my teachers said it should be online, but I can't seem to find it anywhere!
Last reply by Sandwich, -
May 2013 In what ways may disagreement aid the pursuit of knowledge in the natural and human sciences? 1 2
by buddah- 24 replies
- 31.2k views
Hi, I am new to this thread and was wondering if anyone could help give me some ideas for this topic - I am currently working on my draft and am lacking ideas. (if a thread has already been made for this topic please let me know) Thanks
Last reply by carpediem, -
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4. Does language play roles of equal importance in different areas of knowledge? what about number 4? i am going to analyse math+arts+history as they all use different forms of language.. but now im stuck with examples and all:( do u mind if i pm u with what i have so far LC? thxx
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I guess I am one of the few people who are doing this title. My AOKs are obviously Ethics and Mathematics. From my understanding of the prescribed title, I guess it means that there are a few different methods that can justify one thing (a statement, a theory, a concept) in ethics&math, and the conclusion that we can reach in ethics is as well supported as a conclusion in math. I think conclusions in math are very well supported as it is not biased nor vague and mathematical proofs are very valid especially if there are more than one proofs. However in ethics even if we have so many proofs, that conclusion can still be refuted or rejected or be invalid. My question is…
Last reply by Alejandro Pita, -
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Nov10/May11 #2 How important are the opinions of experts in the search of knowledge? 1 2
by Glory seeker- 23 replies
- 18.2k views
for whom that chose to do the second prescribed TOK ESSAY Title: How important are the opinions of experts in the search of knowledge? we can certainly do a brain stroming here, what do you guys think ? what is the knowledge issue here? which areas of knowledge we can link to ? Cheers IB Bros!
Last reply by Artoth, -
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After participating in many discussions in my Theory of Knowledge class, and reading through some of the general forums posted here on IBSurvival, I've found myself asking the question of: What defines intelligence? I do know that each persons perception differentiates upon experience, and I know that I have my own opinion, but I'm very curious to know what you guys think.
Last reply by URA BOAT, -
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Does Observation Creat Reality? Main WoK / AoK: Sense Perception Minor WoK / AoK: Emotion / Science, Mathematics Key words: consciousness, observation, reality, senses, perception, relativity, infinite probability Please have a look at the following video: - A very good video on sense perception This video may excite many of you physicists and chemists out there. But, the importance of this video in relation to ToK is the the physical or chemical aspects of atoms or quantum theory. The most important thing you should take away from this video is an understanding of how sense perception is constructed from a physical reality; that although sense perception is…
Last reply by Silence, -
I have to start planning my ToK essay so i just wanted to kind of get a rough idea on each one i found some threads on most of them except the one i'm actually thinking of doing. which is: #2 'Compare and contrast knowledge which can be expressed in words/ symbols with knowledge that cannot be expressed in this way. Consider CAS and one or more areas of knowledge' But i'm not too sure cause i think that it has the potential of going down the line of an english essay as opposed to ToK... any tips?
Last reply by Chris yo, -
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Moderator edit: Strictly do not post 1 sentence replies. This topic is to discuss the new TOK titles and all posts should be elaborating on one of the topics. All useless/conversational posts will be deleted. ****************************** Hello, Today we were given the TOK essay titles prescribed for the 2014 students. What do you think of them? 1.Ethical judgements limit the methods available in the production of knowledge in both the arts and the natural sciences. Discuss. 2.“When the only tool you have is a hammer, all problems begin to resemble nails” (Abraham Maslow). How might this apply to ways of knowing, as tools, in the pursuit of knowledge? 3.“Knowledge is not…
Last reply by sameera95,
