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The Theory of Knowledge

Learner Profile 

AttributeInquirers In the Theory of Knowledge, the main avenue of inquiry is into the nature of knowledge

itself. TOK learners seek to find out how knowledge is made using various Ways of

Knowing, and they seek to find out what constitutes knowledge in various Areas of

Knowledge. Inquiry is a necessary attribute because it is a fundamental premise of TOK

that real knowledge cannot result from simple acceptance of everything one reads, sees,

or hears.

Knowledgeable In the Theory of Knowledge, students strive to be knowledgeable about the nature of

knowledge. This endeavor entails becoming knowledgeable about a variety of subject

areas from a variety of perspectives. Students consider the ways of knowing, for

example, from the perspective of science, personal experience, and their interaction with

other ways of knowing.

ThinkersIn the Theory of Knowledge, thinking is both a methodology and a subject for study. TOK

learners think about thinking for the purposes of understanding what constitutes good

thinking and what potential flaws in one's thought process might lead to poor thinking.

TOK learners also think about what kind of thinking is required in a variety of situations,

as well as how thinking relates to emotional processing and intuition.

Communicators In the Theory of Knowledge, communication is both a skill to be developed and a subject

to be studied. Students are required by the IB assessments to communicate their

understanding and their perspective in both oral and written forms. TOK students also

study Language as a Way of Knowing, so they learn what gives language its power, as

well as what causes failure of communication.

Principled The guiding principle of Theory of Knowledge is truth. In order to be successful in TOK,

students must value truth and must learn to act in ways that demonstrate that value.

Learning to see the world from a TOK perspective necessarily precludes the kind of

solipsistic thinking (“The rules don’t apply to me”) that leads to much of the world’sunprincipled behavior, because TOK students learn that reality does not, in the words of

Philip K. Dick, “…go away just because you stop believing in it.” 

Open-minded Becoming open-minded is perhaps the most fundamental goal of the Theory of

Knowledge class. Students who succeed in TOK must be open-minded about everything

they encounter. They must learn not to simply accept claims at face value, and they

must learn to consider the factual accuracy of any proposition, the potential emotional,

social, or cognitive bias of any person making a proposition, and the durability of any

given proposition. At the same time, they must learn to balance skepticism with faith,

and they must, thereby, also learn when claims should be accepted because they are

reasonable.

Caring Theory of Knowledge students must care first and foremost about truth. They must care

about knowledge, and they must care about precision, accuracy, relevance, and honesty.

Risk-takers Theory of Knowledge students must be willing to take risks with regard to trusting their

own judgment and their own knowledge so that they do not simply devolve into

unappeasable skeptics. TOK students must most of all be willing to risk being wrong,

because only when we are willing to accept the rational and emotional experience of

being wrong can we make progress toward correcting existing misconceptions and

increasing our true knowledge and understanding of the world.

Balanced Theory of Knowledge requires balance in myriad ways. The curriculum is balanced in

terms of the Ways of Knowing that are explored and in terms of considering both the

assets and liabilities of each one. It is also balanced in terms of the Areas of Knowledge

that are examined, both in that there is a wide variety of Areas and in that each area is

considered from both a personal and a communal perspective. The TOK assessments

require a balance of ability in speaking and writing, and a balance in ability of drawing

general conclusions from specific examples and in drawing specific examples to

demonstrate general claims.

Reflective  As is open-mindedness, reflectiveness is one of the skills that form the heart of the

Theory of Knowledge course. Students who are successful in TOK learn that reflection is

a necessary and habitual activity for making knowledge. Students in Theory of

Knowledge learn to reflect not only over their own knowledge, beliefs, thought

processes, and emotional reactions, but also over the factual accuracy, logical

plausibility, and contextual dependence of claims of every kind. TOK students also learn

to reflect on the degree to which their own and other people’s motivations, beliefs,

expectations, and experience influence what they know and what they are capable of

knowing.

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