TOK: Theory of Knowledge.
This is a philosophical course focusing on the nature and fundamentals of knowledge.
Teachers have freedom to select a teaching methodology and course material that will convey the theoretical foundation of essential concepts, and provide an environment in which these concepts can be discussed and debated. The focus of the discussion should not be the differentiation between "right" and "wrong" ideas, but rather on the quality of justification and a balanced approach to the knowledge claim in question.
The TOK course uses a combination, in no particular order ("many entry points and sequences are possible"):[2]
Teachers have freedom to select a teaching methodology and course material that will convey the theoretical foundation of essential concepts, and provide an environment in which these concepts can be discussed and debated. The focus of the discussion should not be the differentiation between "right" and "wrong" ideas, but rather on the quality of justification and a balanced approach to the knowledge claim in question.
The TOK course uses a combination, in no particular order ("many entry points and sequences are possible"):[2]
- Ways of knowing (sense perception, reason, emotion and language/tone/symbols/nomenclature).
- Areas of knowledge (mathematics, natural sciences, human sciences, history, the arts and ethics): their distinct natures and methods of gaining knowledge, the types of claim each makes and the issues to consider (e.g. "How do you know that the scientific method is a valid method of gaining knowledge?", "What is the reason for having historical knowledge, and how is it applied in life?").
- Factors that transcend individual ways of knowing and areas of knowledge:
- Nature of knowing: what are the differences between information, data, belief, faith, opinion, knowledge and wisdom?
- Knowledge communities: what is taken for granted in a community? How can we decide which beliefs we ought to check further?
- Knowers' sources and applications of knowledge: how do age, education, culture and experience influence selection of sources and formation of knowledge claims? If you know something, or how to do something, do you have a responsibility to use your knowledge?
- Justifications of knowledge claims: why should claims be assessed critically? Are logic, sensory perception, revelation, faith, memory, consensus, authority, intuition, and self-awareness equally reliable justifications? Use of coherence, correspondence, pragmatism, and consensus as criteria of truth.
Student examples of TOK presentations:
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