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WAB Faculty & Staff

Theory of Knowledge: Natural Sciences

resources for TOK at WAB

Key Concepts

Is there a single scientific method?   When should we be skeptical of scientific findings?

Is new scientific knowledge built incrementally  or through sudden insight?

How do we decide among conflicting theories?  How do scientists try to protect against error in scientific research

Things that make you go hmmm....

What counts as evidence in the natural sciences?  Is science a religion for Ross?

What are the limits of scientific methods and the knowledge it creates?

Can we ever claim scientific certainty?  How can scientific knowledge change over time?

Is scientific knowledge more valuable than other knowledge?

What makes knowledge valid?   Is there good and bad science?

How does the way a scientific idea is communicated shape its validity?

What is the difference between the evidence used to justify scientific and ethical claims?

What is lost or gained when we use one area of knowledge to explain another?