TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
#1 Knowledge is generated through the interaction
of critical and creative thinking. Evaluate this
statement in two areas of knowledge.
Key Words and Phrases:
Knowledge, generated, interaction, critical
thinking, creative thinking, evaluate
TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical
and creative thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas
of knowledge.
Knowledge:
–What definition of “knowledge” will I use?
–What definition best fits my argument?
Knowledge
is generated:
–What is the process by which knowledge is “generated”?
–What does “generated” mean? Is that the same as “new
knowledge is created”?
TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative
thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge.
Critical thinking
–What is critical thinking?
–How will I define “critical” and distinguish critical
from other types of thinking?
–Does “critical” mean the same as “analytical”?
“rational”? “scientific”?
–Where/when/how is critical thinking used?
TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical
and creative thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas
of knowledge.
Creative thinking
–What is creative thinking?
–How will I define “creative” and distinguish critical
from other types of thinking?
–Does “creative” mean the same as “intuitive”?
“artistic”? “non-analytical”?
–Where/when/how is creative thinking used?
TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical
and creative thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas
of knowledge.
Interaction
–What does “interaction” mean?
–What does “interaction” mean in the context of two ways of
thinking?
–Does the interaction happen within the mind of one person?
In the interaction of two or more people? Different time
periods? Different disciplines?
–How/when/where do these two types of thinking come into
contact and interact?
TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative
thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge.
Action
term: Evaluate
–What exactly does it mean to “evaluate”?
–Am I to examine if this statement is true or not?
–Do I examine the extent to which it is true or not?
–What is the relationship between “evaluate” and “analyze”?
“Evaluate” and “prove”?
–How will I know when my “evaluation” is complete?
TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative
thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge.
Assumptions in the title:
–That knowledge IS generated through the interaction of critical and
creative thinking.
–That knowledge can’t be generated WITHOUT interaction, without
the “presence” of both critical and creative thinking.
–That the way knowledge is generated is different among the
various areas of knowledge.
TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative
thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge.
Knowledge Issues:
–To what extent does the generation of knowledge require both
critical and creative thinking?
–How does the relative roles of creative and critical thinking and
their interaction vary among the areas of knowledge?
–How can we make a clear distinction between types of thinking,
particularly between critical and creative thinking?
TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative
thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge.
Areas of Knowledge:
–Natural sciences, human sciences, history, mathematics,
arts, ethics
–Which two areas of knowledge should I use?
Should I choose two AoK that will give me opportunity
to compare and contrast the different ways and levels of
interaction between critical thinking and creative
thinking?
TOK Essay: Unpacking the Title
Knowledge is generated through the interaction of critical and creative
thinking. Evaluate this statement in two areas of knowledge.
Return to the checklist:
–What are the knowledge issues?
–What stance will you take?
–What AoK and WoK will you address?
–What are the examples?
–Deal with any counterclaims.
–Note any implications.