Unpacking a Prescribed Title
Prescribed Title: “Knowledge within a discipline develops according to the principles of natural
selection.” How useful is this metaphor?
Identify key words and phrases:
 natural selection
 discipline
 develops
 principles
 metaphor – developing knowledge works in the same way that natural selection works
 knowledge
 useful
TOK contestable concepts:
 natural selection- Problems of using Darwinistic concepts in Areas of Knowledge that do not relate
to the sciences? (history-social Darwinism vs natural science-survival of the fittest) Are there
other AOK that use a form of natural selection?
 Discipline - Does it have to be in an area of knowledge or in life in general? Subjective to
someone’s network of knowledge? How closely are different disciplines connected? How is
knowledge displayed differently in the various AOKs? Examine WOK that are used within each
discipline
 Develops - How rapidly/under what means is knowledge developed? Is the amount of knowledge
increasing or decreasing based on new developments? Can learning be instantaneous or does it
have to develop over time? In what way is it developing – depth v. breadth? What constitutes
“developing”? By what means do we develop knowledge that is outside the realm of natural
selection?
 Principles - Which principles are being referred too? Survival of the fittest? Other? Ethics
surrounding nature or the laws of nature? How do these principles vary based on the AOK? What
constitutes “principles”?
 Metaphor - What particular principle(s) of natural selection is the metaphor implying? How is this
a metaphor? Do all of the qualities of natural selection apply when using this metaphor? Which
qualities may not apply?
 Knowledge - Learning, understanding, or process of learning? How reliable is the knowledge?
Where did it come from? Personal or shared? New or transferred? Is it a justified true belief?
 Useful - In what way is this applicable to daily real life situations? Is the knowledge true? Does
there have to be an application for it to be useful? How does usefulness vary across disciplines?
What is the purpose?
Ambiguous words and phrases:
 discipline
 principles
 knowledge
Command terms:
 How (discuss, explain, consider implications, elaborate on key concepts, examine the process)
Assumptions in the title:
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Whether the principles of natural selection only apply with knowledge within a discipline or
including knowledge outside of discipline?
Natural selection is required in other areas of knowledge?
According – knowledge only develops through natural selection
Knowledge can/should be discarded if it’s no longer supported
Knowledge actually develops
Natural selection has set principles
Usefulness is quantifiable
People are knowledgeable about natural selection (world views of natural selection can vary by
culture)
Rephrase the title to check your understanding: (How can you restate the PT in your conclusion to
tie your perspectives back to itself?)
 According to Darwinist principles, a person’s understanding within a discipline develops.
Consider the validity and application of this metaphor.
Identify ideas/concepts to include in the knowledge questions (KQ):
Consider how the following may play a role in this prescribed title: bias, belief, limitations,
reliability, (un)certainty, validity, truth, justification, subjectivity
 Bias- Bias in knowledge within discipline affect your concept of development? Something to
consider confirmation bias
 Belief- Could personal belief affect one’s ideas of the validity of this metaphor?
 Limitations - Serves as obstacles within Darwinism? What happens if we disregard knowledge?
How does that affect us in the long run? Unpopular view could actually be correct. How can we
predict what future knowledge will look like if it hasn’t changed at a constant rate in the past?
 Reliability - Limited by where knowledge comes from (source)? How reliable is the metaphor –
can we say that all aspects of the development of knowledge follow all the principles of natural
selection?
 (Un)certainty - The principles of natural selection applicable to knowledge within a discipline,
certain that principles are concrete? Natural selection is a theory – how certain can we be about it?
 Validity - Validity of natural selection debated. How can we rely strictly on something that is
constantly being added to/modified? Is it valid to have a hierarchy of knowledge – is it ok to think
that one AOK is more important than another?
 Truth - Different perceptions of truth?
 Justification - Using the principles of natural selection as justification?
 Subjectivity - Developed knowledge throughout time (natural selection), hard to communicate?
 Something to consider: