GeoTOK

Geography and theory of knowledge

The relationship between each subject and theory of knowledge (TOK) is important and fundamental to the

Diploma Programme. Having followed a course of study in individuals and societies, students should be able

to reflect critically on the various processes of knowing and methods used in human sciences, helping them

to become “inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people” (IB mission statement).

Many of the subjects that fall within the individuals and societies subject group in the Diploma Programme

are often known collectively as the “human sciences” or “social sciences”. The human sciences are one of

the eight areas of knowledge at the centre of the TOK course, with the others being mathematics, the natural

sciences, the human sciences, the arts, history, ethics, religious knowledge systems, and indigenous

knowledge systems. In TOK, students also explore the question of how we know what we claim to know by

examining different ways of knowing, which are specified in the TOK course as language, sense perception,

emotion, reason, imagination, faith, intuition, and memory.

As with other disciplines in the human sciences, there are a variety of ways of gaining knowledge in

geography—for example, archival evidence, data collection, experimentation, observation, and inductive and

deductive reasoning. Geography students also explore and think critically about the interactions between

people and their environment in time and place. All of these elements can be used to help explain patterns

of behaviour and contribute to an examination of how we know what we claim to know.

During the Diploma Programme geography course, a number of opportunities will arise that can be used to

highlight the relationship and common goals between TOK and geography. Some of the knowledge questions

and claims that might be considered during the geography course are identified below.

• Who decides how we classify knowledge? Why might it be useful to classify knowledge?

• To what extent are the methods of the human sciences scientific?

• How is statistical data used differently in different areas of knowledge?

• How reliable are the methods available for gathering demographic data on hundreds of millions of

people?

• How has ready access to vast amounts of information, and the way in which the internet has contributed

to our shrinking world, changed our understanding of knowledge?

• Does language simply describe knowledge, or is it part of the knowledge itself?

• To what extent do maps reflect reality? What are the hidden messages in maps and the stories behind

the way maps are presented?

• Some geographical topics, such as climate change, are controversial. How does the scientific method

attempt to address them? Are such topics always within the scope of the scientific method?

• What scientific or social factors might influence the study of a complex phenomenon such as global

warming?

• On what basis might we decide between the judgments of experts if they disagree with each other?

• Arguably, while some aspects of geography can be measured, others cannot. To what extent does

knowledge need to be quantifiable?

• Many geographers and others value diversity in human affairs. Does globalization increase

opportunities to share knowledge or does it diminish diversity?

• What roles do emotion and reason play in individuals’ lifestyle choices?

• To what extent might possession of knowledge carry with it moral obligations?

More information for teachers on TOK can be found in the Theory of knowledge guide.