1. What is “Knowledge and Politics”?
In this optional theme, the International Baccalaureate encourages students to explore how knowledge interacts with political structures, ideologies, institutions, and debates. Politics here is not limited to government systems or elections—it also includes power relations, social justice, media influence, and public opinion.
Central TOK Questions:
- How is political knowledge constructed, communicated, and contested?
- Who decides what counts as legitimate political knowledge?
- To what extent can political knowledge be objective?
Politics can be seen as a battleground of knowledge: competing ideologies argue about what is true, what is right, and who gets to decide. In this battleground, the ability to access, share, or suppress knowledge becomes a powerful tool.
Central TOK Questions:
- Politics plays a crucial role in shaping our understanding of the world.
- The political environment can shape how knowledge is produced or received.
- Political power can influence education, media, science funding, historical narratives, and even language use.
- Studying this theme helps students recognize biases, propaganda, and the ethical implications of political decisions related to knowledge.
Key TOK Concepts in This Theme:
TOK Concept | How it relates to Politics |
Authority | Who holds political knowledge and power? |
Power | How is knowledge used to gain or maintain power? |
Values | How do political ideologies reflect value systems? |
Evidence | What counts as valid political evidence? |
Perspective | How do different political groups view the same knowledge differently? |
Justification | How are political claims justified through data, history, or ethics? |
Examples of Political Knowledge in Everyday Life:
- Reading a news article about climate change policies.
- Watching a political leader give a speech.
- Learning history from a national curriculum.
- Participating in a student council election.
- Observing protests or activism online.
Each of these contains layers of political knowledge that can be examined using TOK tools.
RLS Snapshot:
Real-Life Situation – China’s internet censorship system (“The Great Firewall”):
This situation raises TOK questions such as:
- To what extent does political power affect citizens’ access to knowledge?
- Can knowledge be considered ‘free’ if it is filtered by the state?
2: Key TOK Concepts and Their Role in Political Knowledge
1. Power and Knowledge
“Knowledge is power.” – Francis Bacon
In political contexts, power and knowledge are often deeply interconnected. Those who have access to knowledge often hold political power, and those in power can control or manipulate knowledge.
Examples:
- Media ownership: A government or corporation owning a major news outlet may influence public opinion.
- School curriculum control: The government may decide what version of history is taught in schools.
- Surveillance laws: Who knows what about whom? What is kept secret for national security?
TOK Question:
- To what extent does control over knowledge lead to control over people?
