THINGS+TO+AVOID

IB TOK > TOK ESSAYS =THINGS TO AVOID IN TOK ESSAYS=

1. General meaningless statements such as "Since the dawn of time man has been obsessed with knowledge". The essay does not need a romantic lead-in. You can start it straight away. Like a film the first paragraph should be packed with ToK action.

2. Gross unsubstantiated generalisations such as: "Americans see wealth itself as a moral good". Be very careful with the use of the word all. Check carefully what it is you want to say. Ask yourself whether it is necessary for your essay to make such a sweeping statement?

3. Pseudoexamples. These are fictional examples usually based on stereotyping : "An Israeli would regard the wall as necessary while a Palestian as an infringement of basic liberty". In such as situation find a statement by a real Israeli and a real Palestinian. Worse are examples which typecast Areas of Knowledge : "A scientist would look at the statue and try to work out the forces in it while an artist would react emotionally to it". The reaction of most examiners reading these lines is to write in red pen: "Would they?" and knock off some points under category A,B or C or combinations of these depending on the context.

4. Dictionary definitions. These are usually not at all helpful in clarifying ToK concepts. These are best dealt with in your own terms. What do you understand as knowledge as opposed to belief, subjective versus objective, inference as opposed to deduction? It is often useful to see a concept in comparison with another related concept and think of examples of one that are not examples of the other. Small examples that illustrate the way in which you see concepts are very useful. On the whole avoid being 'bogged down' by definitions. If one had to define Art before writing any essay on it then one would hardly get anywhere at all.

5. Be careful with examples or ideas taken from textbooks – especially those designed specifically for ToK. Textbooks used in a authoritative way without critical evaluation often lead to poor ToK essays. The examiners are interested in what you have to say not the author of a textbook. If you use a textbook make sure you stand back and look critically at what is said. Do you agree with the author or not? If you do can you imagine possible counterarguments. Make sure that you commentate upon any such sources you use in the essay. Just because a source backs up your argument that does not mean that you have no further work to do.

6. Don’t overstate contentious issues. I have often seen the statement “Artists use their artwork to express their emotions” in ToK essays. This is at the very least contestable – it could be downright false. In the history of art perhaps only the expressionists ever admitted to this. What might be meant is that “there is an emotional component to many (though by no means all) artworks”. Be prepared to refine the statements that you make in the essay. It should, after all, contain only true statements.

7. Steer clear of lines of argument that go: “ human beings are all different therefore we all have different …. (ways of looking at things) (truths) (emotions) (experiences) (thoughts) (moral systems) (notions of what is beautiful) (beliefs) … There are three objections to this type of statement. The conclusion almost certainly doesn’t follow from the premise, the conclusion is almost certainly false and the factual premise might also be false (at least in non-trivial or substantial way).

8. Steer well clear of identifying a problem of knowledge and then concluding that we can't know anything (in a particular area of knowledge). This is almost certainly not true. Try to explore the nature of the problem you have found and evaluate its effect upon the area of knowledge in question. It might only have the effect of weakening certain knowledge claims or limiting their scope or applicability.

9. Don’t be a ‘lazy sceptic’ or an ‘unthinking relativist’. (follows from 8 above). Try a more sophisticated approach or more refined type of thinking.