IBDP Core - Advanced Critical Concepts

Front

Explain the distinction between 'personal knowledge' and 'shared knowledge' in TOK.

Back

Personal knowledge is acquired via individual experience, practice, or feedback (hard to communicate), whereas shared knowledge belongs to a group, is organized in systematic ways, and is easily passed on. Assessment Criterion B rewards explicit discussion of how these interact, e.g., how personal cognitive biases influence the acceptance of shared paradigms.

Front

Evaluate the role of 'bias' in the Natural Sciences versus History.

Back

In Natural Sciences, bias is minimized through methodological tools like double-blind trials and peer review, yet paradigm shifts (Kuhn) suggest systematic resistance to anomalies. In History, bias is intrinsic to narrative selection; 'value-free' history is impossible. TOK essays excel by contrasting how 'objectivity' functions as a methodological ideal in science versus a contested concept in historiography.

Front

Define 'Methodological Naturalism' in the Human Sciences.

Back

The methodological assumption that social phenomena must be investigated using the same empirical and measurable principles as the natural sciences, ignoring metaphysical explanations. It raises knowledge questions regarding reductionism: can complex human experiences (e.g., depression, revolution) be fully explained through data points and statistics without losing meaning?

Front

Contrast 'Certainty' in Mathematics versus the Natural Sciences.

Back

Mathematical certainty is deductive and absolute within its axiomatic system (a priori). Scientific certainty is inductive and probabilistic; 'facts' are the best explanations currently available, subject to falsification. A high-level argument must address whether mathematical certainty is 'true' in the real world or merely tautological within abstract rules.

Front

Discuss 'Scope' in the context of Indigenous Knowledge as an Area of Knowledge.

Back

Scope refers to the boundaries and limitations of what a knowledge system addresses. Indigenous Knowledge often encompasses spiritual, environmental, and social aspects holistically, unlike the compartmentalization in Western academia. The challenge lies in validating this knowledge using external standards (like the scientific method) without decontextualizing it from its cultural framework.