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TOK Links To IB

The document discusses the human sciences and natural sciences. It notes that the human sciences include disciplines like psychology, anthropology, economics, political science, and geography that study human existence and behavior. There is diversity within human science disciplines and their approaches. The document also discusses differences between the human sciences and natural sciences in their methods and how they test hypotheses. It raises topics like how questionnaires can influence conclusions and how social factors may affect the types of research supported in each field.

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50 views5 pages

TOK Links To IB

The document discusses the human sciences and natural sciences. It notes that the human sciences include disciplines like psychology, anthropology, economics, political science, and geography that study human existence and behavior. There is diversity within human science disciplines and their approaches. The document also discusses differences between the human sciences and natural sciences in their methods and how they test hypotheses. It raises topics like how questionnaires can influence conclusions and how social factors may affect the types of research supported in each field.

Uploaded by

findlotte
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The human sciences

The human sciences include a diverse range of disciplines, such as psychology, social and cultural
anthropology, economics, political science, and geography. These disciplines share a common focus
on the study of human existence and behaviour. The diversity of the disciplines included within the
human sciences can itself be a stimulus for interesting TOK discussions, as can the coexistence of
different approaches within a single discipline (for example psychodynamic versus behaviourist
versus humanistic approaches in psychology). One interesting focus for discussion could be, for
example, whether there are fundamental differences between the human sciences and the natural
sciences in terms of how they interpret the word “science”, the methods they use for collecting
data, or how they test the validity and reliability of hypotheses. Another interesting focus for
discussion could be the use of questionnaires and polls in the human sciences. This could include
whether the results of questionnaires can be reliable given the challenges around neutral language,
leading questions, or sampling and selection effect. It could also include discussion of issues relating
to respondents not being truthful or deliberately giving misleading responses. Students could also be
encouraged to consider the ways in which social, political, cultural or financial factors may affect the
types of research that are supported and financed in the human sciences. For example, market
research is often undertaken as a way for companies to increase their profits, and social science
research sometimes seeks to influence public policy. This can raise interesting questions about the
purpose and context within which knowledge is pursued in the human sciences.
Making connections to the core theme

• How does advertising utilize knowledge of human psychology to influence and persuade us?
(scope)

• What is it about a theory that gives it the power to destabilize our view of ourselves and of the
world? (perspectives)

• How might the language used in polls and questionnaires influence the conclusions that are
reached? (methods and tools)

• What moral obligations to act or not act do we have if our knowledge is tentative, incomplete or
uncertain (ethics)

The natural sciences are often seen to rely on evidence, rationality and the quest for deeper
understanding. Observation and experimentation play a key role, and terms such as “theory” have a
special meaning in the natural sciences compared to how they are used in daily life and in other
areas of knowledge. A focus for discussions of the natural sciences could be what differentiates the
scientific from the nonscientific or “pseudo-scientific”. Many people would suggest that it is the
methods used in the natural sciences that is the key distinguishing factor—which raises the question
of what it is about these methods that means that the knowledge they generate is often regarded as
being highly reliable. Students could also consider whether the word “science” means different
things in different languages, or whether it has been used differently in different periods of history.
Another interesting focus for discussions could be scientific development, revolutions and paradigm
shifts. This could include what is meant by a paradigm shift, whether scientific knowledge has always
grown, or how technological developments have driven scientific progress and discoveries. It could
also include reflection on whether we could ever reach a point where everything important to the
natural sciences is known. Students could also consider the role of consensus in the natural sciences,
and the role and importance of the “scientific community”. For example, they could consider the
role of peer review as a method of scrutinizing scientific claims and the extent to which this is an
effective and objective form of selfregulation. This could lead to discussions of whether or not
scientific knowledge is, or should be, amenable to public scrutiny. It could also lead to wider
reflection on whether there are commonly agreed values, methodologies and assumptions about
knowledge that underpin all scientific inquiry. Another rich source of material for TOK discussions
relating to the natural sciences can come from the issue of funding. A great deal of scientific
research is funded by private for-profit companies and by governments, which raises interesting
questions around how the priorities for funding scientific research are determined and who it is that
determines which research directions are pursued.

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