HZT4UE – Theory of Knowledge
T.O.K. Presentation
Purpose: Identify an issue of global importance (i.e. of considerable significance) which debates
a conflict of values. After thorough research, discuss the “knowledge issues” (e.g. bias,
assumption, justification, etc.) and the role of “ways of knowing” (e.g. language, reason,
emotion, perception) and their effect on different “areas of knowledge” (e.g. the Arts, Natural
Sciences, Mathematics, History, Ethics, etc.).
Your presentation must be contemporary and engaging. It must be based on facts: there must be
a solid foundation for all sides of your discussion. Do not speak in generalities but focus on
specifics with research and/or examples to back your claims. Examine the language, statistics,
and images used by multiple sides of the debate in their representation of the issue. As part of
this process, identify inherent assumptions, justifications, biases, value systems, and emotions
which may diverge. To what extent can you find valid arguments and how do they compare and
contrast?
Length: 30 minutes as a group presentation.
Some Possible Suggestions: (Please feel free to examine other debatable contemporary issues
but they must be approved in advance.)

















The use of torture (in wartime or
otherwise)
Church vs. State laws
Same-sex marriage
NATO countries as “police” of the
world
Disbanding of the United Nations
Promiscuous advertising
(Mis)interpretation of sacred texts
Human trafficking or slavery
Religious beliefs and world peace
Global environmental pacts (e.g.
Kyoto Protocol)
Use of nuclear power
Democracy as a global political
system
Poverty and crime
Science vs. religion
Global warming
Obligatory anti-cervical cancer
vaccination
Artificial intelligence


















AIDS and the Catholic Church’s
view of contraception
(Mis)use of the Internet
The role of censorship
Animal rights and testing
Genetically modified or engineered
foods
Stem cell research
In-vitro fertilization and selective
abortion
Adoption from other countries
Immigration and refugee rights
Cloning
The role of media in politics
Links between violence and media
Youth offenders tried as adults
Legalization of euthanasia
Conventional vs. alternative
medicines
Hazardous/electronic waste
Digital piracy
Exploitation of differing global
economic/working conditions
Other possibilities:
What is the relationship between the Natural Sciences and social responsibility? Choose
a single recent scientific and/or technological development as a focus and consider its
ethical implications. Who bears the moral responsibility for directing or limiting
development of such knowledge, and on what basis can that responsibility be justified?
How do the Human Sciences help us to understand many of the misunderstandings and
frictions which frequently arise between groups of people? Identify a contemporary
problem involving the interaction of groups (for example, ethnic, racial, socioeconomic,
or religious groups) and consider the knowledge given by psychology, anthropology, and
economics. In what ways can these disciplines illuminate the causes and characteristics
of the problem? In what ways might they also be relevant to possible solutions? Are
there other disciplines which would increase our understanding of the particular issue?
Does history tell us the truth? Choose any single historical incident and use it to explore
the nature and complexities of historical truth. In what ways is this exploration of the
past relevant to an understanding of the present? Is there any contemporary incident
which it illuminates?
How do we know whether we are acting in a “good” or “moral” way? Select any ethical
issue and examine it from two or more possible ethical viewpoints. The purpose is to
seek the differing grounds on which claims to justifying moral behaviour may be made,
not to prove that one is the “right” way over another.
Select one new development in knowledge and consider its effect on the discipline within
which it has developed and its challenge to Ethics or other areas of knowledge. In
science and technology, for instance, you might focus on the human genome project,
cloning, nuclear power, or the IT revolution. In the arts you might focus on computergenerated art or electronic music.
Can purposely misleading the public ever be justified, as sometimes occurs in politics or
advertising? Consider cases of intentional misinformation, or cases of the use of
fallacious arguments, in these instances and in some of the areas of knowledge such as
science, the arts, or history.