BSH IB Theory of Knowledge

The Theory of Knowledge (TOK) programme is central to the educational philosophy of the International Baccalaureate. It challenges students and their teachers to reflect critically on diverse ways of knowing and areas of knowledge, and to consider the role that knowledge plays in a global society. It encourages students to become aware of themselves as thinkers, to become aware of the complexity of knowledge, and to recognise the need to act responsibly in an increasingly interconnected world.

As a thoughtful and purposeful enquiry into different ways of knowing, and into different kinds of knowledge, the TOK programme is composed almost entirely of questions. The most central of these questions is, ‘how do I, or how do we, know that a given assertion is true, or a given judgment is well grounded?’

Assertions or judgments of this sort are termed ‘knowledge claims’, while the difficulties that arise in addressing these questions are the broad areas known as ‘problems of knowledge’.

The programme entails the application of this central question to many different, yet interrelated, topics.

Questions are the very essence of TOK, both ageless questions on which thinkers have been reflecting for centuries and new ones, often challenging accepted belief, which are posed by contemporary life. Questions such as:  How is knowledge gained?  What are the sources?  To what extent might these vary according to age, education or cultural background?