New IB student ToK Questions

IBStudent2011

Hey, I am going to do the IB next year and I am looking at getting a head start on my ToK and start on it these holidays (I'm in Australia btw) and I have come up with a few topics for it, I also have a few question about it too.

TOPIC 1: Does faith or therefore lack of it influence on the fear of death?

This topic would explore how most faiths and specifically Abrahamic faiths are based on death, and would be compared to the degree of fear of death felt by people lacking in faith/atheists/agnostics. It also allows me to use quotes (if I am allowed to) about it, with one coming to mind said by Albert Einstein: "One life is enough for me".

Topic 2: Is cryogenics possible?
This topic would explore the motives, ethics and the processes involved in cryogenics, it could include religious views on it as well also examples of it.

Topic 3: What constitutes death?
this would explore what is defined to be dead.

Topic 4: Goldbach's conjecture
This would obviously explore what the conjecture is, work on it and personal research on it.

Are the above topics suitable for ToK and do you have to study that specific area for you to do it and would I be allowed to work on it now without doing ToK classes?

I am also open to suggestions.

Thank You

P.S Any tips for a new IB student?

Reply 1

Welix

2

Original post by IBStudent2011

Hey, I am going to do the IB next year and I am looking at getting a head start on my ToK and start on it these holidays (I'm in Australia btw) and I have come up with a few topics for it, I also have a few question about it too.

TOPIC 1: Does faith or therefore lack of it influence on the fear of death?

This topic would explore how most faiths and specifically Abrahamic faiths are based on death, and would be compared to the degree of fear of death felt by people lacking in faith/atheists/agnostics. It also allows me to use quotes (if I am allowed to) about it, with one coming to mind said by Albert Einstein: "One life is enough for me".

Topic 2: Is cryogenics possible?
This topic would explore the motives, ethics and the processes involved in cryogenics, it could include religious views on it as well also examples of it.

Topic 3: What constitutes death?
this would explore what is defined to be dead.

Topic 4: Goldbach's conjecture
This would obviously explore what the conjecture is, work on it and personal research on it.

Are the above topics suitable for ToK and do you have to study that specific area for you to do it and would I be allowed to work on it now without doing ToK classes?

I am also open to suggestions.

Thank You

P.S Any tips for a new IB student?

Is this for your essay or your presentation? If this is for your essay, I'm sorry to say that the IB have 10 questions which you have to pick one of, you don't get to make up your own question. Also, the questions you pose are more general philosophy type questions, whereas ToK is a very specific area of philosophy, which asks "how" we know certain things or whether we know them at all.

If it's for the presentation, I think, it's waaaaaaaaay too early to beat yourself up about it, even though your drive and initiative is admirable. Usually the presentation is done in the second year of IB (so over about 1.5 years away for you) and you simply get a much better idea of what to do once you actually had some ToK classes.

Reply 2

theths

12

hmm, bear in mind ToK is "theory of knowledge", so a lot of the philosophy questins are centred around, well, the theory of knowledge, rather than diversifying into any other areas of philosophy like you've done.

for example -
Consider the extent to which knowledge issues in ethics are similar to those in at least one other area of knowledge.
2. How important are the opinions of experts in the search for knowledge?
3. “Doubt is the key to knowledge” (Persian Proverb). To what extent is this true in two areas of knowledge?
4. To what extent do we need evidence to support our beliefs in different areas of knowledge?

(these are some of this year's essay titles)

seriously, tok is a doss
wait till you've had some lessons - all will be clear

New IB student ToK Questions

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