Essay #2 May 25: Fragility
The first essay that I decided to write guidance notes on for the May 25 session is Essay #2 fragility. I really like this essay, it’s super accessible, touches upon many core ToK ideas, and helps me to understand why all the best music was made between 1970-2000.
When I was growing up in ye olden days of yore (the 1970s-1990s) artists like US singer Madonna and UK punk band The Clash dominated popular culture. Madonna, known as the “Queen of Pop,” was a trailblazer selling over 400 million records, and shaping fashion, music, and wider culture. The Clash, meanwhile, were pioneers of punk rock, using their politically charged lyrics and rebellious sound to influence an entire generation. These artists, and others, were revered knowledge, and they seemed to be very stable, strong (the opposite of fragile).
Today, however, many younger people are unfamiliar with the cultural significance of these acts. I ask my ToK classes whether they’ve heard of Madonna, or The Clash, and very few have. Arguably, Madonna and The Clash remain influential figures in music history, but their revered status has diminished with time as newer artists, genres, and cultural trends have taken centre stage. This illustrates how knowledge (whether in music or broader intellectual fields) evolves. As cultural values and interests shift, what was once revered knowledge may become less relevant or known. The example of these once-dominant bands reflects the broader theme that revered knowledge is subject to change and may not hold the same enduring significance across generations. As such the revered knowledge of today, maybe more fragile than we assume due to the inevitable evolution of knowledge.
Making revered knowledge with a guitar.
Today’s music stars may be relatively unknown in the near future. Knowledge evolves, and therefore may be fragile.
This example is just one of many ways that ToK Essay #2 May 25 can be unpacked. You can find many other ways to understand, and to write, this essay in the TokToday Student Guidance Notes for ToK Essay May 2025.
