IBDP ToK 8 AoKs
In ToK there are 8 Areas of Knowledge... (See below)
The ToK Areas of Knowledge are how we divide up and label the knowledge we possess. The ToK course identifies 8 different areas of knowledge, but although the nature of the knowledge within them undoubtedly varies, you should be aware that there is a great deal of overlapping both amongst themselves, and with the ways of knowing.
The arts can be a little tricky because there is huge disagreement about what constitutes ‘proper’ art. To some people, almost anything can be art; to others, there are strict rules that need to be adhered to. This is one aspect of your course that you’re going to have arguments about, but of course, that’s what we like about it. The Oxford English Dictionary says…
noun 1 the expression of creative skill through a visual medium such as painting or sculpture. 2 the product of such a process; paintings, drawings, and sculpture collectively. 3 (the arts) the various branches of creative activity, such as painting, music, and drama. 4(arts) subjects of study primarily concerned with human culture (as contrasted with scientific or technical subjects). 5 a skill: the art of conversation.
— ORIGIN Latin ars.
Ethics is a word often misused by people. We talk of following an ‘ethical’ course of action, or shopping ‘ethically’. Strictly speaking, and if we’re going to be anal about it (which we should be, at least at the beginning of each section), then this makes little sense. Ethics means the same as ‘moral philosophy’, or, the study of how to live our lives morally. The OED definition is…
plural noun
1 the moral principles governing or influencing conduct.
2 the branch of knowledge concerned with moral principles.
— DERIVATIVES ethicist noun.
History is an easy term to misunderstand, because most people think they understand what it refers to, when in fact they don’t. ‘History’ is not the same as ‘the past’ – the key concept to understand when dealing with this area of knowledge. This is a very common mistake in essays and presentations, and should be avoided at all costs! According to the OED…
history
noun (pl. histories) 1 the study of past events. 2 the past considered as a whole. 3 the past events connected with someone or something. 4 a continuous record of past events or trends.
— PHRASES be history informal be dismissed or dead; be finished. the rest is history the events succeeding those already related are so well known that they need not be recounted again.
— ORIGIN Greek historia ‘narrative, history’, from histor ‘learned, wise man’.
The human sciences corresponds to humanities and social sciences, but also includes aspects of psychology and even mathematics, as one of the key things we are concerned with is how we gather information in our study of human behaviour. Here is a selection of some of the subjects that fall under the human sciences umbrella:
Introduction to indigenous knowledge systems
If you are like most IB Diploma students, it’s very likely that you will have already travelled through a lot of towns and cities, visited a good number of countries, met many different people, and spoken (or tried to speak) in various foreign languages. You may pride yourself on how diverse your experiences have been; indeed, encouraging diversity and internationalism is probably one of the proud boasts made by the school in which you are studying, and one of the reasons why your parents decided to send you there.
However, it is also possible that you have managed to experience all these things without having had to operate outside of knowledge systems that are familiar to you, or shift the paradigm through which you view the world in order to make sense of things. Walk down the main street of any major city in the world, and it’s likely to contain cafes and restaurants that you’ll find anywhere else. Enter a clothing store, and you’ll probably be able to use one of the four or five languages that are prevalent in your school to make your purchase.
Mathematics is sometimes seen as being at the opposite end of the spectrum from art in the sense that it offers us something that is built on absolute objectivity, which only works if every element of its structure is in alignment with each other. However, because mathematics is an essential tool in so many fields, and spills over into such ‘artistic’ realms as design and architecture, as well as engineering, medicine, and the social sciences, it would be quite incorrect to say that it and the arts are mutually exclusive. The OED says…
mathematics
plural noun usu. treated as sing. the branch of science concerned with number, quantity, and space, either as abstract ideas (pure mathematics) or as applied to physics, engineering, and other subjects (applied mathematics).
— DERIVATIVES mathematical adjective mathematically adverb mathematician noun.
— ORIGIN from Greek mathema ‘science’, from manthanein ‘learn’.
The natural sciences is a wide-ranging area of knowledge, and there are many overlaps between it and the human sciences. In addition, there is a big question about whether science is a method or body of knowledge. The OED provides us with this appealingly short definition…
Religious knowledge systems is one of the two new areas of knowledge for 2013 (along with indigenous knowledge systems), and the fact that it was only recent included prompts us to consider the nature of the knowledge it represents. Clearly, not everyone is religious, and even those who are are deeply divided in terms of their belief system, with different religions offering very different interpretations of the earth’s divine origin, and the most effective route to eternal salvation. The OED says…
religion
the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods: ideas about the relationship between science and religion; a particular system of faith and worship: the world’s great religions; a pursuit or interest followed with great devotion: consumerism is the new religion