TOK Essays 2024. Essay title 2. How can we reconcile the opposing demands for specialization and generalization in the production of knowledge? Discuss with reference to mathematics and one other area of knowledge

In this blog we will be examining the second Theory of Knowledge essay title in the May 2024 series: 

How can we reconcile the opposing demands for specialization and generalization in the production of knowledge? Discuss with reference to mathematics and one other area of knowledge.

There are some really interesting ideas to examine in this essay such as the headline ideas of specialisation and generalisation but you must ensure that you are answering the question effectively. How can we reconcile the two terms when we are producing knowledge about the world? Is it even possible? Exploring a number of ways to find agreement or alignment between the two terms is essential here. 

As in the last blog I will take a look at the themes involved in the question whilst providing an accessible structure to help you write your essay. Remember the main things to include are: Demonstrating understanding of the key terms, effective examples of how the theory of knowledge ideas appear in the real world and a clear answer to the question. 

Introduction: 

Remember to answer the question in your introduction. It will give your essay focus and alert the examiner to the idea that this essay could be great! 

Demonstrate that you understand the key terms. Let’s take a look at them in the context of this essay: 

Reconcile:  

This suggests the idea of two opposing things becoming closer together and more likely to agree. So in this essay you could consider how the processes involved in the production of knowledge may become more closely linked rather than opposing each other in method. Perhaps you could consider the idea of a middle ground between the two ways of producing knowledge. 

Generalisation: 

Remember to consider this with TOK in mind. In this essay we are considering the production of knowledge. So, how can knowledge be produced in a general way in Maths and one other Area of Knowledge? The very nature of the Maths that you are studying gives us widely accepted formulas to help you produce your knowledge. In basic terms Pythagoras is a general theory used to calculate answers to given problems. This is generalisation in the production of knowledge. 

Specialisation: 

To consider this the idea of a specific example or knowledge with a specific use should be explored. Specialised implies a smaller scale production of knowledge with less scope and a smaller application. 

The Specialised production of knowledge could also be used to produce a certain outcome having used a general formula or technique initially.  In the Arts for example you could embrace the idea of a generally accepted technique such as the methodology of painting a watercolour but the specialisation would be introduced when the individual artist’s skills are used to create a uniqueness in the painting. 

A couple of points to consider: 

Always remember that this essay is about the production of knowledge in Maths and your chosen Area of Knowledge and you should consider this in all of your arguments. 

There are a number of suggestions that specialisation could not exist without the idea of generalisation first and so is this a way to reconcile the two methods for producing knowledge? This could be an argument or general answer for your essay. 

Body paragraph 1: Claim 1 linked to Maths  

As Maths is the AOK mentioned in the question let’s examine the kind of ideas and claims that you could make. Firstly you need to make a claim based on Maths and knowledge that directly relates to the question. How can generalisation and specialisation be reconciled in the production of knowledge in Maths? 

For example: In Maths, the production of knowledge should be generalised to support learners. 

This is seen in an example such as….

Here you could use a general theory such as pythagoras or something that you have used in the Maths you have studied at IBDP level. 

You then need to consider the idea of reconciling the general theory and the specific, specialised questions you are asked to answer. Just think about the amount of times a teacher has given an example of a general theory in class and then you have struggled to apply the theory that they have presented to the question in front of you. In this case the way to achieve reconciliation would be through the teaching or individualised guidance and is needed to help you produce knowledge. 

Key people to research that are quotable on these ideas: Rene Descartes, Marcus Du Sautoy, Cathy O Neill. 

Body paragraph 2: A counterclaim/counter argument linked to Maths. 

This should outline why we cannot reconcile generalisation and specialisation in Maths. 

One idea for this could surround the argument that if Maths is too specialised on particular problems and theories, the production of knowledge can only be created at certain levels of difficulty by certain people. 

Is the work of the greatest Mathematicians inaccessible to the everyday human and is there even a way for people to access the most difficult levels of Maths? 

As a result it is perhaps impossible to reconcile the two in a lot of cases in Maths. 

You need to find an example why this is the case from the real world. You could explore the work of University Professors in comparison with those of IB students. 

Body Paragraph 3: What are the implications of your ideas about Maths in the real world? 

This will help you show the reader that you have considered the future of the production of mathematical knowledge. Answer the question again and try to consider: If the opposing demands for specialisation and generalisation in Maths are reconciled what will be the consequences? 

The second half of this essay demands that you look at an area of knowledge of your choice. My recommendation here would be to explore an area that you are interested in, if you are studying Geography for example then you may wish to explore the Human Sciences ideas as outlined below. 

Body Paragraph 4: Claim about your second area of knowledge: Human Sciences (Geography as an example). 

The study of Geography itself is about the world, it can be general in the extreme. We need to consider how the general production of knowledge in Geography could move towards becoming more specialised. 

A claim in this area could be: The production of knowledge in Geography should be more focussed on a micro scale so it is more applicable in the real world. This is an idea that a theory about the features on a river can be assumed on a macro scale but can only be verified as knowledge using specific, specialised examples in the real world. It is only then that it can be used effectively to stop flooding in a localised place. 

If you were using this example you should then find a specific example of how data collected has stopped flooding in a particular place after the application of specialised skills in the field. 

Key Thinkers to provide evidence for your essay could include: 

Albert Einstein- how did he say data should be collected in science? 

Johnny Harris, Daniel Kanheman, Linus Pauling. 

Body Paragraph 5: Counter Claim regarding Human Sciences.

The beauty of choosing the Human Sciences for this second AOK is that you could now choose another subject to analyse here. For example Psychology. 

Your claim here could be that generalisation and specialisation  cannot be reconciled because of the impact of this on an individual. 

In Psychology, again general ideas are applied to individuals in the real world. Are many of them still relevant in today’s society? Think about Freud and his ideas and the application of his theories on gender fluid people. 

You must make sure that you focus on the production of knowledge in this argument though and consider that the knowledge produced is actually the way the individual is influenced by the treatments they receive. 

 Body Paragraph 6: Impacts of the potential reconciliation of knowledge in the Human Sciences. 

Again this considers what the futures of the production of knowledge in the Human Sciences could be as a result of your suggestions and arguments above. 

Conclusion: Remember to write a clear conclusion to your essay and answer the question above- it is a “How can we” question- you must present some ways that we can reconcile knowledge in these Areas of Knowledge. You should recognise that it can be done and your essay above suggests ways that this is the case. 

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Thank you for reading this blog, this essay is one of the trickier ones for May 2024 but if you feel like you can connect with it then I think it is possible to write a highly achieving essay. 

Read my next post: Essay 3: Nothing is more exciting than fresh ideas, so why are areas of knowledge often so slow to adopt them? Discuss with reference to the human sciences and one other area of knowledge.

*The spelling of generalisation and specialisation in the title are American, if you are American use American English but if you are from the UK then you can go ahead and use S instead.