TOK Essay Title May 2024
TOK Essay Title
Is subjectivity overly celebrated in the arts but unfairly condemned in history? Discuss with reference to the arts and history.
TOK Essay Title
How can we reconcile the opposing demands for specialization and generalization in the production of knowledge?
TOK Essay Title
Nothing is more exciting than fresh ideas, so why are areas of knowledge often so slow to adopt them?
TOK Essay Title
Do we underestimate the challenges of taking knowledge out of its original context and transferring it to a different context?
TOK Essay Title
Do we need custodians of knowledge? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title
Are we too quick to assume that the most recent evidence is inevitably the strongest? Discuss with reference...
TOK Essay Title November 2024
TOK Essay Title
Does our responsibility to acquire knowledge vary according to the area of knowledge?
TOK Essay Title
In the production of knowledge, is ingenuity always needed but never enough?
TOK Essay Title
To what extent do you agree that there is no significant difference between hypothesis and speculation?
TOK Essay Title
In the production of knowledge, are we too quick to dismiss anomalies? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title
In the pursuit of knowledge, what is gained by the artist adopting the lens of the scientist and the scientist adopting the lens...
TOK Essay Title May 2023
TOK Essay Title
Is replicability necessary in the production of knowledge? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title
For artists and natural scientists, which is more important: what can be explained or what cannot be explained?
TOK Essay Title
Does it matter if our acquisition of knowledge happens in “bubbles” where some information and voices are excluded?
TOK Essay Title
Do you agree that it is “astonishing that so little knowledge can give us so much power” (Bertrand Russell)?
TOK Essay Title
Are visual representations always helpful in the communication of knowledge? Discuss with reference...
TOK Essay Title
To what extent is the knowledge we produce determined by the methodologies we use? Discuss with reference...
TOK Essay Title November 2023
TOK Essay Title
Are facts alone enough to prove a claim? Discuss with reference to any two areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title
If “the mathematician’s patterns, like the painter’s and the poet’s, must be beautiful” (G.H. Hardy)...
TOK Essay Title
In the acquisition of knowledge, is following experts unquestioningly as dangerous as ignoring them completely?
TOK Essay Title
Is it problematic that knowledge is so often shaped by the values of those who produce it? Discuss with reference...
TOK Essay Title
Is it always the case that “the world isn’t just the way it is, it is how we understand it—and in understanding something...
TOK Essay Title
Faced with a vast amount of information, how do we select what is significant for the acquisition of knowledge?
TOK Essay Title May 2022
TOK Essay Title
Can there be knowledge that is independent of culture? Discuss with reference to mathematics and one other area...
TOK Essay Title
To what extent do you agree with the claim that “there’s a world of difference between truth and facts” (Maya Angelou)?
TOK Essay Title
Is there solid justification for regarding knowledge in the natural sciences more highly than knowledge in another area...
TOK Essay Title
How do historians and human scientists give knowledge meaning through the telling of stories?
TOK Essay Title
How can we distinguish between good and bad interpretations? Discuss with reference to the arts and one other area...
TOK Essay Title
If we conclude that there is some knowledge we should not pursue on ethical grounds, how can we determine...
TOK Essay Title November 2022
TOK Essay Title
Within an area of knowledge is it more important to have credibility or power? Discuss with reference to the natural...
TOK Essay Title
If pushed too far, can open-mindedness itself become restrictive? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title
Is it better to “have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned” (adapted from Richard...)?
TOK Essay Title
Why do we seek indisputable evidence when it is so often unattainable? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title
To what extent do you agree with the directive to “measure what is measurable and make measurable what is not so”...
TOK Essay Title
If the artist has freedom to interpret past events in ways that are denied to the historian, is this an asset or an obstacle...
TOK Essay Title May 2021
TOK Essay Title
“Accepting knowledge claims always involves an element of trust.” Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title
Within areas of knowledge, how can we differentiate between change and progress? Answer with reference...
TOK Essay Title
“Labels are a necessity in the organization of knowledge, but they also constrain our understanding.” Discuss this statement...
TOK Essay Title
“Statistics conceal as much as they reveal.” Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title
“Areas of knowledge are most useful in combination with each other.” Discuss this claim with reference to two areas...
TOK Essay Title
“Avoiding bias seems a commendable goal, but this fails to recognize the positive role that bias can play in the pursuit...
TOK Essay Title November 2021
TOK Essay Title
Why is it so difficult to identify a clear line between accepted and disputed knowledge within a discipline?
TOK Essay Title
“Knowledge gained through direct experience is powerful but problematic.” To what extent do you agree...
TOK Essay Title
“There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact” (Arthur Conan Doyle). Discuss this claim with reference to two areas...
TOK Essay Title
“Areas of knowledge always rely on a systematic process of trial and error to aid the production of knowledge.” Discuss this...
TOK Essay Title
“If all knowledge is provisional, when can we have confidence in what we claim to know?” Answer with reference to two areas...
TOK Essay Title
“We are rarely completely certain, but we are frequently certain enough.” Discuss this statement with reference to two areas...
TOK Essay Title May 2020
TOK Essay Title
“Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not” (Pablo Picasso).
TOK Essay Title
“There is a sharp line between describing something and offering an explanation of it.” To what extent do you agree with this claim?
TOK Essay Title
Does it matter that your personal circumstances influence how seriously your knowledge is taken?
TOK Essay Title
“The role of analogy is to aid understanding rather than to provide justification.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
TOK Essay Title
“Given that every theory has its limitations, we need to retain a multiplicity of theories to understand the world.”
TOK Essay Title
“Present knowledge is wholly dependent on past knowledge.” Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title November 2020
TOK Essay Title
“If a disagreement about knowledge claims needs to be resolved, then it is essential to give equal attention to both sides.”
TOK Essay Title
“Understanding something requires being able to answer ‘What if...?’ questions about it.” To what extent do you agree...
TOK Essay Title
“Too much of our knowledge revolves around ourselves, as if we are the most important thing in the universe” (adapted from Carlo).
TOK Essay Title
“The process of gaining knowledge is more valuable than reaching an end result.” Discuss this claim with reference...
TOK Essay Title
“The questions we can ask depend more on what we already know than on what we do not know.”
TOK Essay Title
“Reliable knowledge can lack certainty.” Explore this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title May 2019
TOK Essay Title
“The quality of knowledge is best measured by how many people accept it.” Discuss this claim with reference...
TOK Essay Title
“The production of knowledge is always a collaborative task and never solely a product of the individual.”
TOK Essay Title
Do good explanations have to be true? Your theory of knowledge essay for examination must be submitted to your...
TOK Essay Title
“Disinterestedness is essential in the pursuit of knowledge.” Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title
“The production of knowledge requires accepting conclusions that go beyond the evidence for them.” Discuss this claim.
TOK Essay Title
“One way to assure the health of a discipline is to nurture contrasting perspectives.” Discuss this claim.
TOK Essay Title November 2019
TOK Essay Title
“In the acquisition of knowledge, the responsibility for accuracy lies with the user not the producer.” Discuss this claim with...
TOK Essay Title
“Each human being is unique, unprecedented, unrepeatable” (René Dubos). Assuming this statement to be correct...
TOK Essay Title
Shared knowledge often changes over time. Does this fact undermine our confidence in current shared knowledge?
TOK Essay Title
To produce knowledge just observe and then write down what you observe. Discuss the effectiveness of this strategy in two areas...
TOK Essay Title
Is there a trade-off between scepticism and successful production of knowledge? it create for knowledge production...
TOK Essay Title
“The pursuit of knowledge is not merely about finding truths; it is about finding significant truths”(adapted from PD...)
TOK Essay Title May 2018
TOK Essay Title
“The fields of study of academic disciplines can overlap, but adopting interdisciplinary approaches to the production...
TOK Essay Title
“We know with confidence only when we know little; with knowledge doubt increases” (adapted from JW von Goethe).
TOK Essay Title
“Without the assumption of the existence of uniformities there can be no knowledge.” Discuss this claim with reference...
TOK Essay Title
“Suspension of disbelief” is an essential feature of theatre. Is it essential in other areas of knowledge Develop your answer...
TOK Essay Title
“The quality of knowledge produced by an academic discipline is directly proportional to the duration of historical development...
TOK Essay Title
“Robust knowledge requires both consensus and disagreement.” Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title November 2018
TOK Essay Title
“Existing classification systems steer the acquisition of new knowledge.” Discuss this claim with reference...
TOK Essay Title
“Technology provides ever expanding access to shared knowledge. Therefore, the need to assimilate such knowledge personally...
TOK Essay Title
Are disputes over knowledge claims within a discipline always resolvable? Answer this question by comparing...
TOK Essay Title
“Those who have knowledge don’t predict. Those who predict don’t have knowledge” (Lao Tzu).
TOK Essay Title
“Too much relevant knowledge in a field might be a hindrance to the production of knowledge in that field.”
TOK Essay Title
“The importance of establishing incontrovertible facts is overestimated. Most knowledge deals in ambiguity.”
TOK Essay Title May 2017
TOK Essay Title
“It is only knowledge produced with difficulty that we truly value.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
TOK Essay Title
“Facts are needed to establish theories but theories are needed to make sense of facts.” Discuss this statement...
TOK Essay Title
Should key events in the historical development of areas of knowledge always be judged by the standards of their time?
TOK Essay Title
“In the production of knowledge, traditions of areas of knowledge offer correctives for ways of knowing.”
TOK Essay Title
Given access to the same facts, how is it possible that there can be disagreement between experts in a discipline?
TOK Essay Title
“Humans are pattern-seeking animals and we are adept at finding patterns whether they exist or not” (adapted from Michael)...
TOK Essay Title November 2017
TOK Essay Title
Is the value of knowledge related to how easy it is to access? Develop your answer with reference to two areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title
“Every theory destabilizes as much as it solidifies our view of the world” (Nathan Jurgenson). Discuss.
TOK Essay Title
“Over time, knowledge has become more accurate.” Discuss this statement with reference to two areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title
Areas of knowledge have methods for testing and supporting knowledge claims. How can we know...
TOK Essay Title
“The simplest explanation is the best explanation.” Discuss this statement with reference to two areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title
“The production of knowledge seems to require creativity at every stage of the process.” Discuss this statement...
TOK Essay Title May 2016
TOK Essay Title
“In gaining knowledge, each area of knowledge uses a network of ways of knowing.” Discuss this statement...
TOK Essay Title
“Knowledge within a discipline develops according to the principles of natural selection.” How useful is this metaphor?
TOK Essay Title
“The knower’s perspective is essential in the pursuit of knowledge.” To what extent do you agree?
TOK Essay Title
“Without application in the world, the value of knowledge is greatly diminished.”
TOK Essay Title
To what extent do the concepts that we use shape the conclusions that we reach?
TOK Essay Title
“In knowledge there is always a trade-off between accuracy and simplicity.”
TOK Essay Title November 2016
TOK Essay Title
“The acquisition of knowledge is more a matter of recognition than of judgment.” Evaluate this claim with reference...
TOK Essay Title
Is the availability of more data always helpful in the production of knowledge? Explore this question with reference...
TOK Essay Title
“Conflicting knowledge claims always involve a difference in perspective.” Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title
“Error is as valuable as accuracy in the production of knowledge.” To what extent is this the case...
TOK Essay Title
“Metaphor makes no contribution to knowledge but is essential for understanding.” Evaluate this...
TOK Essay Title
“Ways of knowing operate differently in personal and shared knowledge.” Assess this claim.
TOK Essay Title May 2015
TOK Essay Title
There is no such thing as a neutral question. Evaluate this statement with reference to two areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title
“There are only two ways in which humankind can produce knowledge: through passive observation or through active...
TOK Essay Title
“There is no reason why we cannot link facts and theories across disciplines and create a common groundwork of explanation.”
TOK Essay Title
With reference to two areas of knowledge discuss the way in which shared knowledge can shape personal knowledge.
TOK Essay Title
“Ways of knowing are a check on our instinctive judgments.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
TOK Essay Title
“The whole point of knowledge is to produce both meaning and purpose in our personal lives.”
TOK Essay Title November 2015
TOK Essay Title
“The main reason knowledge is produced is to solve problems.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
TOK Essay Title
Assess the advantages and disadvantages of using models to produce knowledge of the world.
TOK Essay Title
“Without the group to verify it, knowledge is not possible.” Discuss this distinction with reference...
TOK Essay Title
“In some areas of knowledge we try to reduce a complex whole to simple components...
TOK Essay Title
“No knowledge can be produced by a single way of knowing.” Discuss this distinction with reference...
TOK Essay Title
Is explanation a prerequisite for prediction? Explore this question in relation to two areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title May 2014
TOK Essay Title
Ethical judgements limit the methods available in the production of knowledge in both the arts and the natural sciences.
TOK Essay Title
“When the only tool you have is a hammer, all problems begin to resemble nails” (Abraham Maslow).
TOK Essay Title
“Knowledge is nothing more than the systematic organisation of facts.” Discuss this statement in relation to two areas...
TOK Essay Title
“That which is accepted as knowledge today is sometimes discarded tomorrow.” Consider knowledge issues...
TOK Essay Title
“The historian’s task is to understand the past; the human scientist, by contrast, is looking to change the future.”
TOK Essay Title
“A skeptic is one who is willing to question any knowledge claim, asking for clarity in definition, consistency in logic...
TOK Essay Title November 2014
TOK Essay Title
“Some areas of knowledge seek to describe the world, whereas others seek to transform it.”
TOK Essay Title
“Knowledge takes the form of a combination of stories and facts.” How accurate is this claim in two areas of knowledge?
TOK Essay Title
“In the production of knowledge, it is only because emotion works so well that reason can work at all.”
TOK Essay Title
“To gain an understanding of the world we need to make use of stereotypes.” With reference to two areas...
TOK Essay Title
“The task of history is the discovering of the constant and universal principles of human nature.”
TOK Essay Title
“We may agree about general standards in the arts but disagree as to whether a particular work has artistic merit.
TOK Essay Title May 2013
TOK Essay Title
In what ways may disagreement aid the pursuit of knowledge in the natural and human sciences?
TOK Essay Title
“Only seeing general patterns can give us knowledge. Only seeing particular examples can give us understanding.”
TOK Essay Title
“The possession of knowledge carries an ethical responsibility.” Evaluate this claim. Discuss.
TOK Essay Title
The traditional TOK diagram indicates four ways of knowing. Propose the inclusion of a fifth way of knowing...
TOK Essay Title
“That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.” (Christopher Hitchens). Do you agree?
TOK Essay Title
Can we know when to trust our emotions in the pursuit of knowledge? Consider history and one other area of knowledge.
TOK Essay Title November 2013
TOK Essay Title
"In the natural sciences progress can be made, but in the arts this is not
possible.” To what extent do you agree?
TOK Essay Title
“Technology both enables us to produce knowledge and limits the knowledge that is produced.”
TOK Essay Title
“Every attempt to know the world rests on a set of assumptions that
cannot be tested.”
TOK Essay Title
“Knowledge gives us a sense of who we are.” To what extent is this true in the human sciences and one other area of knowledge?
TOK Essay Title
Our knowledge is only a collection of scraps and fragments that we
put together into a pleasing design...
TOK Essay Title
“The methods used to produce knowledge depend on the use to which
it will be put.”