E

PL
M
interactive

Theory of
SA

Knowledge 3rd Edition

for the IB Diploma
SUE BASTIAN
JULIAN KITCHING
RIC SIMS

IB_TOK_Cover_2019.indd 3 30/09/2019 14:11

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Exhibition
Assessment –
3
3 Assessment – Exhibition

Introduction

‘Experience without theory is blind, but theory without experience is mere intellectual play.’
(Immanuel Kant)

Much of the value of our engagement with the Theory of Knowledge course lies in
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an interplay between concepts and ideas on the one hand, and our everyday lived
experiences on the other. The exhibition task is a great opportunity for you to explore
and demonstrate the connections between what we call the ‘TOK world’ and the ‘real
world’ around us. In a nutshell, the exhibition is about how TOK manifests in the
world. It has been designed with the learner profile and IB mission in mind – as an
attempt to foster a recognition of the range of TOK enquiry as it extends throughout
and beyond academic study, and to show how TOK has practical importance.

The need to put together an exhibition is a powerful reason for keeping a TOK journal
in which ideas and the nature of objects can be recorded as they emerge. Don’t forget
to include items that relate to your life beyond, as well as within, your academic study;
an exhibit can benefit from a personal touch with one or more of your objects relating
to your particular experiences.

The components of your exhibition

OBJECT
THEME
text

Figure 1 The components

of your exhibition
PROMPT

t te
tex xt

OBJECT OBJECT

As you contemplate the exhibition task, it is important to be aware of a number of

components that need to be integrated. Your exhibition should have its roots in one of
the themes that you have studied. This is a strong recommendation.

Much more strictly, your exhibition must be a response to one of the 35 internal
assessment prompts found in the subject guide and replicated in this chapter on

180
pages 182–183. The IA prompts are all knowledge questions. It is essential that your
exhibition consistently addresses the prompt that you have chosen.

You need to select three objects that illustrate something significant about the prompt
that you have chosen. These objects can take a wide variety of forms, but they should
be specific items or photographs of items as far as possible – not generic images of
whole classes of object, or objects created specifically for the exhibition itself.
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You need to explain in writing the TOK connection between each of the objects and
the prompt, and provide a justification for their inclusion. Again, you need to ensure
that each of the objects offers a different insight into the prompt. The limit for your
three pieces of text altogether is 950 words.

The construction of your exhibition

You might start with the selection of a theme that you found particularly interesting
and find an object that says something within it. You might then look for a suitable
prompt that can link to that interesting object. Alternatively, you might begin from
a prompt that engages you within a theme and identify some possible answers to the
prompt that can then be connected to objects that illustrate those answers. Then again,
you might have an object that fascinates you. You would then link it to one of the
prompts, and expand the exhibition into two other objects.

There are different ways into the exhibition so you might want to play with them to see
what you think works best for you. Some approaches are shown below:

1 2 3 4 5
Theme Select Identify Search for Write text Add other
first theme object suitable objects and
prompt texts
Prompt Select Select Find Identify Write texts
first prompt theme possible objects
answers to
prompt
Object Select Link to Write text Add other
first object prompt objects and
texts

An essential point is that your teacher is there as a support with the construction of
your exhibition. But they can assist only in response to whatever you bring to the
conversation, and there are limits to what is permitted. Talk to your teacher at an early
stage, and then later on take advantage of your one allowed consultation once you have
a well-advanced draft.

Stick rigidly to one prompt for your whole exhibition. Check that the points your objects
make are precise and about knowledge. And make sure that your objects exhibit diversity
in the points they trigger about the prompt.

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3 Assessment – Exhibition

Consider the advantages of choosing a theme that has been covered in class, and try to
use your selected theme as a way of making your exhibition coherent. Remember that
some leeway will be tolerated for the treatment of a prompt that transcends themes or
draws on areas of knowledge, but do not make this an aim of your work.

Make sure that your explanation sets each object within its own context so that
everyone understands what your objects are, what they do, and what they mean.
Then make a clear link from each object to the selected prompt, and explain for each
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object what it has to say about the prompt and how it offers an explicit and precise
perspective on it. Keep to the 950-word limit for all three texts together – aim for
300 words per object. Include references to support factual claims that you make
about each object.

The assessment instrument is shown on page 184. Read it carefully and keep it in mind
during the process of constructing your exhibition. In particular, aim to exemplify the
characteristics described under the heading ‘Excellent’. Remember that your teacher
will assess your work using what is called global impression marking; this means that
they are looking for the description in the instrument that provides the best overall fit
for the quality of your exhibition.

As with all other internally assessed tasks in the diploma programme, a sample of
student work will be sent to examiners as a check against the standards applied by your
teacher to the work of all TOK students in your year group.

The IA prompts
You must select one prompt from the list below on which to base your exhibition.

1. What counts as knowledge?

2. Are some types of knowledge more useful than others?

3. What features of knowledge have an impact on its reliability?

4. On what grounds might we doubt a claim?

5. What counts as good evidence for a claim?

6. How does the way that we organise or classify knowledge affect what we know?

7. What are the implications of having, or not having, knowledge?

8. To what extent is certainty attainable?

9. Are some types of knowledge less open to interpretation than others?

10. What challenges are raised by the dissemination and/or communication of

knowledge?

11. Can new knowledge change established values or beliefs?

12. Is bias inevitable in the production of knowledge?

182
13. How can we know that current knowledge is an improvement on past
knowledge?

14. Does some knowledge belong only to particular communities of knowers?

15. What constraints are there on the pursuit of knowledge?

16. Should some knowledge not be sought on ethical grounds?

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17. Why do we seek knowledge?

18. Are some things unknowable?

19. What counts as a good justification for a claim?

20. What is the relationship between personal experience and knowledge?

21. What is the relationship between knowledge and culture?

22. What role do experts play in influencing our consumption or acquisition of

knowledge?

23. How important are material tools in the production or acquisition of

knowledge?

24. How might the context in which knowledge is presented influence whether it is
accepted or rejected?

25. How can we distinguish between knowledge, belief and opinion?

26. Does our knowledge depend on our interactions with other knowers?

27. Does all knowledge impose ethical obligations on those who know it?

28. To what extent is objectivity possible in the production or acquisition of

knowledge?

29. Who owns knowledge?

30. What role does imagination play in producing knowledge about the world?

31. How can we judge when evidence is adequate?

32. What makes a good explanation?

33. How is current knowledge shaped by its historical development?

34. In what ways do our values affect our acquisition of knowledge?

35. In what ways do values affect the production of knowledge?

The chosen IA prompt must be used exactly as given; it must not be altered in any way.

183
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184
3

The exhibition assessment instrument

Your teacher will use the assessment instrument below to mark your exhibition.

Does the exhibition successfully show how TOK manifests in the world around us?

Excellent Good Satisfactory Basic Rudimentary

9–10 7–8 5–6 3–4 1–2 0

The exhibition clearly The exhibition identifies three The exhibition identifies The exhibition identifies three The exhibition presents three The response does not
identifies three objects and objects and their real-world three objects, although the objects, although the real-world objects, but the real-world reach the standard
their specific real-world contexts. Links between real-world contexts of these contexts of the objects may be contexts of these objects are not described by the other
contexts. Links between each each of the three objects objects may be vaguely or implied rather than explicitly stated. stated, or the images presented levels or does not use
of the three objects and the and the selected IA prompt imprecisely stated. There is Basic links between the objects and may be highly generic images of one of the IA prompts
selected IA prompt are clearly are explained, although this some explanation of the links the selected IA prompt are made, types of object rather than being provided.
made and well-explained. explanation may lack precision between the three objects and but the explanation of these links is specific real-world objects. Links
and clarity in parts. the selected IA prompt. unconvincing and/or unfocused. between the objects and the
There is a strong justification
Assessment – Exhibition

selected IA prompt are made, but

of the particular contribution There is a justification of There is some justification for There is a superficial justification
these are minimal, tenuous, or
that each individual object the contribution that each the inclusion of each object for the inclusion of each object
it is not clear what the student is
makes to the exhibition. individual object makes to the in the exhibition. Some of in the exhibition. Reasons for the
trying to convey.
All, or nearly all, of the exhibition. Many of the points the points are supported by inclusion of the objects are offered,
points are well-supported are supported by appropriate evidence and references to the but these are not supported by There is very little justification
by appropriate evidence and evidence and references to the selected IA prompt. appropriate evidence and/or lack offered for the inclusion of each
explicit references to the selected IA prompt. relevance to the selected IA prompt. object in the exhibition. The
selected IA prompt. There may be significant repetition commentary on the objects is
across the justifications of the highly descriptive or consists
different objects. only of unsupported assertions.

Possible characteristics

Convincing Focused Adequate Simplistic Ineffective

Lucid Relevant Competent Limited Descriptive
Precise Coherent Acceptable Underdeveloped Incoherent
Some exhibition exemplars
The following pages offer suggested examples of how exhibitions could be constructed
in each of the themes of the TOK course. They are here to give you some guidance
as well as to give you an opportunity to apply the assessment instrument in order to
evaluate their quality. In general, they are intended to illustrate the top bands of the
instrument, but they may have their flaws, which you are invited to identify in the light
of the advice and assessment instrument provided above.
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Example A: Knowledge and the knower

IA Prompt #14: Does some knowledge belong only to particular
communities of knowers?
The student has used a
personal touch.
Object 1: Bottle of Irn Bru
My first object is a bottle of Irn Bru from my native country of Scotland.
This carbonated soft drink was first created as ‘Iron Brew’ by the
company AG Barr in 1901 as an alternative refreshment to beer for steel
workers constructing the central railway station in Glasgow. Changes in
food labelling law in the 1940s prompted a change in name to ‘Irn Bru’,
as the production process did not involve anything that could satisfy the
definition of brewing. The drink has maintained an iconic presence in
Scottish culture ever since, while production has remained in the hands
of the Barr family. Although required to list ingredients, the company
has kept the exact recipe a closely guarded secret – it is known only to
the chairperson and one other individual, and also written down and
kept in a bank vault somewhere in Scotland. Although there is now a
range of products that include reduced sugar and extra ingredients, such
as ginger, the picture displayed here is of a bottle of the original drink
recently re-launched.

The knowledge required to produce Irn Bru is not available to the public, and the
trademarked name means that this knowledge can be considered legally to belong to
the AG Barr company. This is an example of knowledge restricted to certain people
for commercial reasons, in order to prevent others from using it to their financial
advantage. There are many other examples of brand-named and trademarked products
that belong by law to individuals or companies – along with the knowledge needed to
produce them. Such knowledge belongs to a particular community only because of its
secret nature protected by law, and, in the absence of these safeguards, there would be
no fundamental reason why it could not belong to others too.

Reference:
www.agbarr.co.uk/our-brands/irn-bru/

Object 2: Grigori Perelman

My second object is Grigori Perelman – a Russian mathematician mentioned in
my Mathematics HL class who is famous for providing a proof for one of the seven
‘millennium problems’ identified by the Clay Foundation in 2000 as the most
important open questions in mathematics. The foundation attached a prize of $1m
for a successful proof for each problem. The problem that Perelman disposed of was in
the field of topology concerning the nature of surfaces – called the Poincaré Conjecture.
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3 Assessment – Exhibition

In the first years of the 20th century, the French

mathematician and physicist Henri Poincaré
first raised the conjecture, which remained
unsolved until the work of Perelman was
published and accepted by the mathematics
community in 2006. With this acceptance
came the awards: first the Fields Medal, the
most prestigious prize in mathematics, and
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then the million-dollar prize sponsored by the

Clay Foundation. Perelman immediately made
headlines by rejecting both prizes – allegedly
on the grounds that he did not value prizes but
rather the mathematics itself.

Perelman’s response to these awards suggests

that he believes that mathematical knowledge
belongs to a community rather than, in this case, being attributed to him personally.
But what community? The number of people who understand his proof is very
small when compared to the population as a whole, so perhaps we could claim that
the proof of the Poincaré Conjecture belongs only to them. On the other hand, this
community could include a wider range of people if more of them were to specialise
in mathematics. However, the simple knowledge that the conjecture is true (rather
than the proof of it) is something that could be considered to belong to humanity as
a whole, as long as the mathematics community is trusted to maintain the standards
required for mathematical proof. This case is concerned with knowledge that may
belong to a particular community due to the unavoidable exclusion of others, as
opposed to the deliberate decision to exclude them.

Reference:
www.claymath.org/millennium-problems/poincar%C3%A9-conjecture

Object 3: Antiva medicine

My third and final object is a packet of
the anti-viral drug Antiva, produced
in Bangladesh and active against
O
chronic hepatitis B infection. Like
all anti-retrovirals, Antiva works
FP

by inhibiting the enzyme reverse

transcriptase, which the virus needs
in order to make copies of itself and
hence proliferate. In Bangladesh,
Antiva is manufactured by the
company Square Pharmaceuticals.
Bangladesh currently qualifies as one of the least developed countries (LDCs) in
the world.

In 2015, the World Trade Organization (WTO) extended a waiver for patents and
other intellectual property rights in relation to the 48 least developed countries in the
world. This waiver will extend to 2033, when it will be discussed again. The waiver
allows poor countries easier access to drugs and the opportunity to manufacture and
186
distribute them at much lower prices than those that would otherwise apply. One
concern is that economic development in Bangladesh is such that by 2024 it may no
longer count as an LDC, and hence no longer qualify for this WTO arrangement.

Here is a situation where knowledge would ordinarily belong to the manufacturer in a The student has linked
similar way, as is the case with AG Barr and Irn Bru. However, in this case knowledge the objects but this is not
has been deliberately shared with others on humanitarian grounds. Unlike the case strictly required by the
assessment instrument.
with the Poincaré Conjecture, this knowledge is not limited by a general inability to However, it does emphasise
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understand it. One might claim that the knowledge does not really fully belong to the that that the objects make
community of LDCs as the waiver is of limited duration. However, when knowledge different points about the
is known it cannot usually be ‘forgotten’ again. Hence, if the waiver were cancelled, prompt – which is required.

one could argue that it would be the permission to use the knowledge that would
be withdrawn rather than the knowledge itself. It should also be mentioned that the
importance of extending the community to which the knowledge belongs, in this case
is dependent on the existence of the resources needed to exploit it.

Reference:
www.un.org/ldcportal/wto-drugs-patent-waiver-for-ldcs-extended-until-2033/

Word count = 940

Example B: Knowledge and technology

IA Prompt #33: How is current knowledge shaped by its historical
development?

Object 1: Typewriter
My first object is a typewriter owned by
my father. Although various forms of the
typewriter have been invented since the
16th century, the versions that we most
clearly recognise today were produced
in the 1870s by Christopher Sholes and
co-workers. Sholes eventually settled on
an arrangement of keys that we still use
in the design of keyboards today – this
is known as the QWERTY layout, after
the sequence of keys found at the top-left
portion of the array. There are varying
accounts of why Sholes arrived at the
overall arrangement of letter keys. These
include the effort to locate keys such that common combinations of letters are located
far apart in order to prevent jamming of the typewriter arms that swing and deliver the
letter impressions to the paper; but there are anomalies here as some keys for common
combinations of letters such as ‘e’ and ‘r’ are found next to each other. A contrasting
claim states that the arrangement was made deliberately difficult for typists in order to
slow them down and minimise errors, but touch typing was not a common skill at that
time, so this explanation also seems unconvincing.

Whatever the origins of the key layout, it became st andard when Sholes’s invention
became mass-produced by the company Remington and Sons; 150 years later, the
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3 Assessment – Exhibition

QWERTY keyboard is still the default today. Typists obviously need to learn to use
it, so we can see that current technology in the form of computer keyboards, and the
procedural knowledge needed in order to use them, has been shaped by the historical
development of earlier technology. Furthermore, this arrangement has become ‘locked
in’ to our knowledge as any major re-structuring of the keyboard layout would result in
inefficiency, with significant difficulties in adjustment resulting in reduced typing speeds.

Reference:
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www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2019/01/10/why-was-the-qwerty-keyboard-layout-
invented/#64409f4957ae

Object 2: Mesosomes
Many biology textbooks refer to
the appearance of structures within

O
prokaryotic cells, such as bacteria,
that are known as mesosomes. These
mesosomes are my second object.

FP
In older texts, these structures are
assigned rather speculative roles in
cellular respiration or cell division.
This is the case in one of the textbooks
It might have been more I am using for my studies. However, more recent research has demonstrated to the
striking if the student had satisfaction of most biologists that mesosomes are artifacts; that is, they are features of
used a page from their cells caused by the processes used in order to prepare the specimens for observation
biology textbook as the
object, rather than the
using the electron microscope, rather than real structures in the cells. These processes
mesosomes themselves. include the application of heavy metals and freezing in order to fracture the cells and
membranes in ways that make viewing easier.

We commonly think of technology as the product of science, and this is clearly

the case with the invention of the electron microscope. However, technology is
also needed in order to advance science, as is the case here. This object reminds
us that we must also be aware of the possibility that the application of technology
itself may influence what we observe and what we think we have discovered. Such
concerns are particularly important in science, where so many objects and events are
observable only with the aid of scientific equipment. Furthermore, misinterpretations
of observations may persist long after the observations have been explained more
accurately – as appears to be the case here with instructional texts in biology
sometimes still accrediting mesosomes with the cellular functions mentioned above.

Reference:
www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/mesosome

Object 3: Orrery
The last object in my exhibition is an orrery. An orrery is a mechanical representation
of the solar system driven by a clockwork mechanism. The first orrery was created by
the clockmakers George Graham and Thomas Tompion in about 1710, who presented
it to Charles Boyle, the Earl of Orrery – hence the name. The mechanisms that drove the
movements in orreries were ingenious and needed to be complex in order to replicate
the simultaneous observed movements of a substantial set of astronomical bodies,
188 including planets and the Earth’s moon.
Perhaps more interestingly for TOK, the use of clockwork in
these models seemed to chime with some more philosophical
views – popular at the time – about the nature and functioning
of the universe. In particular, some scientists (such as Isaac
Newton) adopted an interpretation in which God set up the
universe and then ‘retired’ to leave the laws of physics (such
as Newton’s law of universal gravitation) to run their course.
This is analogous to a clockwork mechanism, which is cranked
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up and then left to unwind without further intervention.

This philosophical view is known as deism, and was attractive
not least because it suggested that, at least in principle, the
behaviour of the universe is entirely predictable.

This object illustrates how technological inventions can extend their influence well
beyond the job that they are originally intended to perform. Another example would
It is best not to introduce
be the modern tendency to regard the mind as if it were a collection of software. another example – use the
Unlike the case of the mesosome, where it is false empirical claims that persist in our available word count to
knowledge about something specific, the notion of a clockwork universe is an example develop the effectiveness of
of a powerful metaphor that burrows into thinking and can shape knowledge in a the selected object.
wider field – often below the threshold of conscious thought.

Reference:
www.universetoday.com/44671/what-is-an-orrery/

Word count = 852

Example C: knowledge and politics

IA Prompt #11: Can new knowledge change established values or beliefs?

Object 1: Portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi

Here, the portrait is more
The first object in my exhibition is a portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi, who was placed effective as an object than
under house arrest for most of the two decades from 1990 to 2010 in Myanmar. the person because it
During this time, she was a focus of opposition to the military government after creates a tighter focus.

the annulment of elections which her party had won. Her refusal to leave Myanmar
during these years, despite having permission to do so on condition of not returning,
coupled with her determined resistance against the regime, won her many plaudits
and awards. These included the Nobel peace prize
in 1991 and an honorary doctorate from her alma
mater – Oxford University – in 2012. In 2015, when
her party achieved a landslide victory, she was made
state counsellor (the equivalent of prime minister)
but her international reputation subsequently
suffered because of her perceived indifference
to the plight of the Muslim minority Rohingya
people, who were oppressed in Myanmar and
displaced into neighbouring Bangladesh. In 2017,
St Hugh’s College in Oxford decided to remove her
portrait from public display, although the honorary
doctorate was not revoked, in contrast to many
other awards that were being withdrawn from her at
this time. 189
3 Assessment – Exhibition

This object illustrates how new knowledge can change beliefs about a prominent
person active in the field of politics. In this case, the new knowledge about Suu Kyi was
inconsistent with what was previously assumed to be the case, and her more recent
apparent inaction in the face of injustice was generally deemed more significant than
her earlier resilience in captivity. It is worth noting that the change in beliefs about Suu
Kyi’s character has probably not been accompanied by any change in values among
those who have observed her; rather it is her perceived failure to live up to those
enduring values, such as those that underlie the expression of human rights by the
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United Nations, that has led to the change in beliefs.

Reference:
www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/29/oxford-college-removes-painting-of-aung-
san-suu-kyi-from-display

Object 2: Dissertation of Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg

My second object is the PhD
dissertation of Karl-Theodor zu
Guttenberg, who served as German
defence minister from 2009 to
2011. During this period, queries
were raised as to the authenticity
of his submission in support of
his doctorate. The University of
Bayreuth eventually identified
23 violations of copyright in the
work, and ruled that this was a case
of intentional deception as evidenced by numerous modifications of original texts in
an attempt to prevent discovery of their origins. Zu Guttenberg simplified the task
of the university to revoke the award of the doctorate by making a request for the
withdrawal himself. Subsequently he tendered his resignation as government minister.
Although this was initially not accepted by Angela Merkel as German chancellor,
further enquiries into the work prompted zu Guttenberg to offer resignation again and
this time it was accepted.

Cases like these invite further scrutiny of past behaviour on the part of the individuals
involved, and zu Guttenberg was not spared in this respect. While plagiarism has
long been considered academic malpractice, the tools available for research and for
detection of the traces of unreferenced work have vastly expanded in recent years
with the advent of digital searching and online publication. This has sparked a more
general debate as to the ownership of ideas and whether established expectations for
attribution of the work of others are sustainable in a highly interconnected world. The
question here is about how the high value that we assign to originality and respect for
the work of others should be protected. Nevertheless, beliefs about the integrity of
zu Guttenberg as an academic were certainly brought into question by this series of
events.

Reference:
www.spiegel.de/international/germany/the-guttenberg-plagiarism-scandal-german-
society-is-applying-a-double-standard-a-748090.html

190
Object 3: Bill Clinton’s announcement concerning Monica Lewinsky
Finally, my third object is the announcement made by former US President Bill A still from the video of this
Clinton concerning his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. event is acceptable as an
Clinton became embroiled in a object.
scandal in 1998 while US president
when accused of conducting this
affair. In the briefing Clinton first
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denied having sexual relations

with Lewinsky, but eventually
had to concede that the truth was
otherwise. The result was that
Clinton became only the second
US president in history to be
impeached by the senate – for
perjury and obstruction of justice.

Clinton’s approval ratings reached their highest point of his eight-year incumbency
at 73 per cent immediately after impeachment proceedings were concluded and he
was acquitted of the charges, despite the fact that he had not told the truth to the US
public. According to Gallup polling, his final rating after stepping down was 65 per
cent – higher than any other US president since the early 1950s – and, in a further poll
in 2007, Clinton came fourth in the list of the greatest US presidents in history.

In this case, the allegations levelled against a prominent politician seemed to have little The temptation is strong to
effect on some of the beliefs of observers. I have presented in this exhibition three make explicit comparisons
cases where new knowledge comes into contact with established beliefs. There is an between the points made
by each object, but
opportunity to examine how the nature of this knowledge might produce differing
consider how the words
effects on beliefs – ranging from a realisation of indifference to injustice, to a lack of might be effectively used to
respect for the protocols of knowledge ownership, to the private behaviour of a public develop the point of each
figure. There is a further chance to reflect on how the reactions to new knowledge example, while leaving the
about prominent individuals might be influenced by their particular characters, or be examiner to appreciate the
differences.
shaped by variations between cultures as a result of differences in values.

Reference:
www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50813276

Word count = 894

Example D: Knowledge and language

IA Prompt #6: How does the way that we organise or classify
knowledge affect what we know?

Object 1: IBIS registrations – gender options

My first object is a screenshot from the IBIS examination registration website. A
recent amendment to this page now permits candidate registration under three
gender options: M for male, F for female, and now X as well. This change raises
important issues about classification. We human beings tend to like classifications,
as they are a way to organise what we know. This particular example questions some
of our most basic traditional assumptions about gender. Although classification in
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3 Assessment – Exhibition

O
FP
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some areas of knowledge is less directly connected to the human experience, we are
still comforted in some way by being able to ‘organise’ our knowledge. Think of the
classification of Pluto as a dwarf planet, for instance. Elsewhere, artistic movements
are a great way to make sense of art history and, while they are sometimes determined
in hindsight, they often come about when a group of artists decides to classify
themselves (surrealism, Dadaism, and so on). That kind of classification also helps us
to have an identity.

By catering for all gender identities, the IB registration options highlight the
performative function of language. I have heard of people who have undergone
surgical procedures in order to fit in with traditional established gender options, but
the widespread recognition of gender X and the power to choose pronouns to reflect
perceptions of identity may render the need for such people to alter their biology
unnecessary or incidental. More generally, I have heard of people in therapy who are
comforted to hear that they are autistic or have ADHD, because the diagnosis helps
them to put a label on their own experiences.

Reference:
www.themandarin.com.au/83991-what-is-gender-x/

Object 2: Capybara
My second object is the capybara, the
largest rodent in the world. Native to
South America, capybaras can reach
a length of 1.2 metres and a weight of
more than 45 kilograms. Their diet is
herbivorous and they spend much of their
time in the semi-aquatic environment of
marshes and swamps. They are strong
swimmers, have partially webbed feet,
and protect themselves from predators by
hiding underwater.

In Venezuela, capybara meat is considered a delicacy. When 17th-century Spanish

missionaries arrived in this area, they set about enforcing the dietary restrictions of
their religion among the converted – including the prohibition on meat consumption
during Lent. But they also realised the importance of the capybara in providing
required nutrition to local indigenous groups, and so they appealed to the Vatican
to allow their converts to continue to eat the animals. The descriptions provided by
the missionaries of the appearance and habits of capybaras were insufficient for clear
192 communication so the Vatican authorities, having never seen capybaras themselves,
ruled that the capybara was a kind of fish. It is a matter of debate whether, had they
known of the true nature of the animal, they would have made the same decision given
that there is explicit prohibition in the Bible of rodent consumption.

While the way in which the Vatican authorities classified the capybara can be
considered to be a reflection of their knowledge, for the missionaries and the
indigenous people of Venezuela the categorisation of the animal was an indication
of pragmatic realities. It is unlikely that thinking of the capybara as a fish made any
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difference to those directly involved in consuming them. Indeed, there are reports that
capybara meat tastes like a combination of pork and sardines, with the fishy notes
presumably a consequence of their lifestyle as described above.

Reference:
www.cogwriter.com/news/religious-news/did-a-pope-conclude-a-rodent-was-a-fish-
for-lent/

Object 3: Swastika in Ghana

The third object in my exhibition is a symbol displayed on a commercial building Use of an object from the
in Ghana close to my school. This is a swastika. Variations on this symbol are quite local environment can
common in Africa and in diverse locations across the world. They are sometimes enhance authenticity and
stimulate discussion in the
found on weights used by the Akan people of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire in order to audience for the exhibition.
measure gold dust, which is Some sort of audience is a
present in copious amounts in requirement, whether class
these countries. In this context, sharing or major school
event.
the symbol references gold as
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a currency and, by extension,
the concepts of power and
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wealth. Also, the swastika can be

described as a stylisation of the
adinkra symbol of two conjoined
crocodiles representing the values
of democracy and cooperation,
and futility of greed.

Symbols act as a convenient way of representing concepts important for social

knowledge – adinkra symbols are ideographs that function well in a pre-literate
culture. The meanings of such symbols are easily communicated and understood, but
they are more strictly tied to the culture in which they originated than is the case with
full written language, which means that there is a greater need to acquire knowledge of
the context. The swastika has a long and varied history across many cultures around
the world, but the many meanings that it transmits have been overshadowed by its
usage by the national socialists in Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, and hence
with the crimes and atrocities that they committed. Such an overpowering connection
of a symbol to a particular set of circumstances can interfere with the message it was
originally intended to convey, and hence disturb the organisation of knowledge in a
different cultural context.

Reference:
africa.si.edu/collections/view/objects/asitem/Objects@632/26/displayDate-
asc?t:state:flow=8b789e5f-e870-41da-ba2d-2d7a629fa493

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3 Assessment – Exhibition

Example E: Knowledge and religion

IA Prompt #8: To what extent is certainty attainable?

Object 1: Grandmother’s Bible

The first object in my exhibition is my

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grandmother’s Bible. Sunday visits to
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church were common during my early

childhood, and by the time I was 15 there

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were lessons from the minister leading up
to confirmation. Throughout all of this, I
was more confused than convinced. The
stakes seemed high. I needed to know. I
confided my doubts to my grandmother
who led me to her Bible and placed her
hands on the book, a very large book, and said, ‘See. These words are a light unto my
path. It says so right here.’ I didn’t see. How was her certainty possible? I read the book
over the summer. I still was not certain. ‘But grandmother,’ I said, ‘bad things happen.’
She just looked at me.

Questions arose: what must it feel like to be certain? How and why does this condition
elude others? How does one dimension of certainty, say, in religion, attach to a
disposition to believe claims from elsewhere? What other high-stakes claims are
impossible to believe except through an act of uncritical belief? Is there an afterlife?
Am I a good person? Who/what created the universe? Is there a meaning to life? Why
does it matter? What would count as evidence? Maybe it’s all around me and I don’t see
it. That’s what my grandmother said.

The student has This object and the circumstances described above concern the pursuit or attainment
demonstrated a strong of psychological certainty in which one is completely sure of something. An important
personal input, but needs feature of this kind of certainty is that it can be held even if the person who is certain is
to develop further the link actually wrong.
between scripture, religion,
and psychological certainty.
Reference:
centerforinquiry.org/blog/religious_certainty_is_a_dangerous_weapon/

Object 2: Gödel’s ontological proof of God

My second object is an ontological proof for Ax. 1. (P(w) ¿ n 5x(w(x) 1 c(x))) 1 P(c)
the existence of God offered by the Austrian Ax. 2. P( w) 3 P(w)
Th. 1. P(w) 1  E x w(x)
mathematician, Kurt Gödel. An ontological
Df. 1. G(x) 3 5w(P(w) 1 w(x))
proof is one in which the conclusion is Ax. 3. P(G)
reached from starting premises arrived at Th. 2.  Ex G(x)
by rational thought rather than empirical Df. 2. w ess x 3 w(x) ¿ 5c(c(x) 1 n 5y(w(y) 1 w(y)))
Ax. 4. P(w) 1 n P(w)
observation. These premises may be
Th. 3. G(x) 1 G ess x
thought of as axioms in a similar fashion to Df. 3. E(x) 3 5w(w(ess x 1 n Ex w(y))
those found in mathematics. Gödel claimed Ax. 5. P(E)
that his proof was motivated by his desire Th. 4. n Ex G(x)
to construct a watertight argument rather
than support any personal religious conviction that he may have harboured. The details
of Gödel’s argument are too complex and difficult to discuss in detail here, but it involved
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what is known as modal logic, the distinction between necessary and contingent truths,
and the concepts of properties and essences. As with ontological arguments in general,
criticisms of Gödel’s argument understandably focus on the legitimacy of the axioms he
used. If the starting points of an argument can be called into question, then the truth of
the conclusions can be too.

This object is concerned with epistemic certainty – the attempt to arrive at knowledge
that is demonstrably true whatever the feelings or allegiance may be to it of individuals.
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There have been numerous attempts to achieve this kind of certainty, often inspired
by the apparent power of logical thought as applied in other fields of knowledge. The
philosopher Bertrand Russell commented that our uneasiness with such arguments
when applied to religion is often undermined by our difficulty in identifying exactly
what is wrong with them. The implied question is whether logic is an appropriate
vehicle for trying to support or reject claims in the field of religion.

Reference:
plato.stanford.edu/entries/ontological-arguments/

Object 3: Isotope-ratio mass spectrometer

The final object in this exhibition is an isotope-
ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS). This device is used
to determine the ratio of different isotopes in a
sample. If the heavier isotope is radioactive, and the
rate of its decay into the lighter isotope is known,
then an estimate of the age of the sample can be
made. For example, uranium-238 decays into
lead-206 with a half-life of 4.47 billion years,
meaning that half of the uranium will have
converted into lead over that period. The age of
a sample of zircon mineral, for example, which
we know contains no lead at formation, can be
estimated in this way. An isotope like uranium-238
with such a long half-life is useful for dating very
old samples, such as those formed shortly after the formation of the Earth and solar
system. It is true that the older the sample the greater the opportunity for error, as the
proportion of remaining uranium diminishes and approaches zero. However, modern
methods reduce this error to a maximum of around 1 per cent in terms of time.

Radiometric dating provides a scientific basis on which claims about the age of the Earth
can be evaluated. As with all scientific work, there has to be not only an acceptance of error
but an attempt to quantify it. Science does not seek epistemic or psychological certainty as
described above, but rather an approximation to certainty on the basis of available empirical
evidence. By quantifying uncertainty, science can arrive with confidence at conclusions that
rule out other claims that are well beyond credibility. This includes claims made by some
religious adherents (inferred from scripture) that the Earth is only a few thousand years old.
We all need to adjust to a world in which a degree of uncertainty is tolerated.

Reference:
www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/eens212/radiometric_dating.htm

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3 Assessment – Exhibition

Example F: Knowledge and indigenous societies

IA Prompt #29: Who owns knowledge?

Object 1: Hoodia plant

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Hoodia gordonii is a type of flowering cactus that grows in Southern Africa. It has
been used widely by the San and other people in the region as a natural appetite
suppressant. In keeping with cultural practices, the San shared the knowledge of the
effects of the plant when consumed with outsiders, including an anthropologist in
the 1930s who noted its use. This reference came to light in the 1960s and the South
African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) commenced research into
what might be the active ingredient – eventually isolating a molecule known as P57.
The commercial potential for an anti-obesity product was quickly appreciated, but
the San people were not initially recognised as the original holders of the knowledge
about the plant, with the CSIR claiming that it was impossible to identify who first
became aware of its effects. Eventually an agreement was reached that provided the
San with 6 per cent royalties on any sales of anti-obesity products containing the active
ingredient. However, heavy marketing by pharmaceutical companies has led to a level
of demand such that the plant is now listed as an endangered species. Moreover, some
producers have now been accused of selling Hoodia products that do not contain any
Hoodia extract at all.

This object illustrates what can happen when the concept of knowledge ownership
and the means of legally establishing it (such as intellectual property law) are familiar
to one group and not the other. Furthermore, the sharing of knowledge with outsiders
in this case has led to the depletion of a natural resource for an indigenous society.
While the San were eventually recognised for their role in supplying the knowledge,
questions arise as to the degree to which the CSIR can lay claim to knowledge as
a result of their success in isolating the active ingredient – something beyond the
capacities (or desires?) of the San themselves.

Reference:
www.wipo.int/ipadvantage/en/details.jsp?id=2594

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Object 2: Indonesian batik
My second object is a batik shirt design
from Indonesia. The batik technique
involves the selective application of wax
to cloth, such that subsequent dyeing
will be restricted to the areas without
the wax. The wax can then be removed
Uncorrected proof, all content subject to change at publisher discretion. Not for resale, circulation or distribution in whole or in part. © Pearson 2020

with hot water and more wax applied

in a different pattern, followed by the
application of a different coloured dye,
and so on as required. The technique
allows for much creativity in the
production of new patterns, but there
are thousands of designs with traditional meanings that have long histories and are
deeply embedded in local culture. The use of these designs has in the past been agreed
between the batik-producing community as a whole. However, batik is popular
beyond Indonesia and production occurs elsewhere, leading to concerns in the batik
artist community as to the appropriation of the knowledge of the designs for profit,
and without the corresponding knowledge of their meanings.

In recent years, an Indonesian government-sponsored patent programme has been

set up that assigns ownership to particular families or groups, and requires all other
producers to acquire permission for those particular designs to be used. Both the
assigning of ownership of a design and the use of it by others is accompanied by the
payment of a fee. This has been an intensive process because of the many designs in
existence and the demand for their use. This object is linked to the problems that can
arise when ownership of knowledge carries a financial obligation. Some designers
struggle to pay the fee needed to guarantee their status as owners, and small-scale
producers face similar financial hurdles. Overall, the pattern of ownership and use of
batik has been recast by a well-intended intervention.

Reference:
web.law.duke.edu/cspd/itkpaper/

Object 3: Genographic Project map

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My third object is a map of human migration patterns produced by the Genographic

Project – an initiative in human genetics sponsored by the National Geographic
Society. These patterns and pathways are investigated through genetic profiling, using
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3 Assessment – Exhibition

a genetic testing kit that targets DNA particularly concerned with markers for ancestry.
Cheek swabs can be provided by individual citizens and analysed in order to contribute
to the overall database.

However, different countries operate on the basis of different laws concerning the
ownership and use of genetic data. At one point, the National Congress of American
Indians called for a halt to the project until procedures are clarified on an international
basis. Some indigenous people refused to participate, concerned about possible
Uncorrected proof, all content subject to change at publisher discretion. Not for resale, circulation or distribution in whole or in part. © Pearson 2020

undermining of traditional beliefs about their origins. There were worries about
indigenous people being treated as curiosities, objects of study, rather than as equal
partners; possible discoveries that the science might assert that the ancestors of the
indigenous are not original inhabitants. There was unease that traditional land rights
might be challenged, and that policies aimed at compensation for earlier injustices
might be weakened. At the same time, other indigenous people saw the project as an
opportunity to reaffirm their status. Some were reassured by the nature of the project
The word count here is as non-profit and affiliated with the support of various conservation initiatives.
136 short of the permitted
maximum. How could these Reference:
extra words be used to web.law.duke.edu/cspd/itkpaper/
improve the exhibition?
Word count = 819

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