What is a Knowledge Argument?
Recently, whilst coaching a student on his Theory of Knowledge (ToK) essay, I realised he was unfamiliar with the term “knowledge argument.” He hadn’t encountered the term "knowledge claim" or "knowledge issue" either, which are often used interchangeably. His candid admission highlighted a common gap in understanding, so I thought it apposite to look at the essentials: what is a knowledge argument?
Understanding the Knowledge Argument
A knowledge argument is a statement about how knowledge is created, received, interpreted, or justified.
In ToK, a knowledge argument is a statement about how knowledge is created, received, interpreted, or justified. These arguments are also referred to as knowledge issues, knowledge questions, or knowledge claims. They all centre on the same concept: a statement about knowledge itself.
Examples in ToK Prompts
All ToK Exhibition and Essay prompts are essentially knowledge arguments or questions. For instance, consider Exhibition prompt #25: “How can we distinguish between knowledge, belief, and opinion?” This is a classic knowledge question. Similarly, Exhibition prompt #2: “Are some types of knowledge more useful than others?” also falls into this category. (This also happens to be the easiest ToK Exhibition prompt: click here for more details)
Essay titles follow the same pattern. For example:
Q#5 May 2024: “Do we need Custodians of Knowledge?”
Q#1 November 2023: “Are facts alone enough to prove a claim?”
These prompts are all questions about knowledge, even if they don’t explicitly mention the word "knowledge." They focus on exploring and understanding knowledge in various contexts.
The Importance of Knowledge Arguments
You might wonder why it’s crucial to understand and write knowledge arguments when the IB provides these questions anyway. The key is not just writing these arguments but also being able to explore and unpack them.
Example: Custodians of Knowledge
Take the question from May 2024: “Do we need Custodians of Knowledge?” To answer it, we need to break it down into smaller knowledge questions:
What is a Custodian of Knowledge?
What needs might they fulfil?
Focusing on the second question—what needs might Custodians of Knowledge fulfil?—we realise that in the context of ToK, these needs will be related to knowledge. Thus, we can derive several smaller knowledge questions:
Do Custodians of Knowledge preserve and protect existing knowledge?
Do Custodians of Knowledge identify and maintain knowledge gatekeepers?
Do Custodians of Knowledge define and describe the methodology of knowledge production?
Do Custodians of Knowledge define legitimate evidence of knowledge?
These smaller knowledge questions help us to explore and answer the broader question effectively.
Practical Application
By learning to write and explore knowledge questions, you can better address the big knowledge questions posed in the ToK Exhibition or Essay prompts. This skill is straightforward and invaluable, ensuring you don’t miss the centrality of knowledge questions in your work.
For more guidance on your ToK Essay click here, and for help with the ToK Exhibition click here.
Stay Toktastic, my friends!
Daniel, Lisbon, June 2024