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WAB Faculty & Staff

Theory of Knowledge: Knowledge and Politics

resources for TOK at WAB

Key Concepts

What is the nature of political power?  

Whose voices get heard in politics?  How is that decided?  On what grounds might an individual believe that they know what is right for others?

What role does knowledge play in the formation of political affinities, or voting decisions?

Things that make you go hmmm....

Frontline story about the teacher in Iowa who taught her students about discrimination using eye colour.

Should happiness be considered in political agendas? If so, can it be measured?

RSA Vision video about public policy and ethical decision-making.

To what extent is emotive language used to manipulate us in politics?

Does the way we communicate knowledge impact political understanding?  How are ‘facts’ and statistics used and abused in politics?

Can political knowledge be separated from values?  Which comes first: politics or values?

To what extent do labels and names create ‘motivated seeing’ in knowers?

What role does emotion play in our political decisions?

Should political beliefs shape our understanding of and response to art and the artist?