2025 TOK Essay Title 6: Does acquiring knowledge destroy our sense of wonder? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge
Guest: Bob Scheer
Sounds: Sri Lankan rainforest at midnight

Sense Of Wonder

2025 TOK Essay Title 2: Is our most revered knowledge more fragile than we assume it to be? Discuss with reference to the arts and one other area of knowledge

Guest: Janka van Jaarsveld
Sounds: Sri Lankan rainforest in the morning

Fragile & Revered Knowledge

2025 TOK Essay Title 1: Do historians and human scientists have an ethical obligation to follow the directive: “do not ignore contradictory evidence”? Discuss with reference to history and the human sciences.
Guest: Quinn Fontaine
Sounds: Sri Lankan rainforest in the morning

Do not ignore contradictory evidence

2025 TOK Essay Title 3: How can we reconcile the relentless drive to pursue knowledge with the finite resources we have available? Discuss with reference to the natural sciences and one other area of knowledge
Guest: Kevin Hoye
Sounds: Hong Kong Birds and Traffic in the morning

Finite Resources, Relentless Drive

Title 4: Do the ever-improving tools of an area of knowledge always result in improved knowledge? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge

Guest: Dr. Simon Griffin
Sounds: Lamma beach


Ever Improving Tools

2026 TOK Essay Title 1: In the production of knowledge, does it matter that observation is an essential but flawed tool? Discuss with reference to the natural sciences and one other area of knowledge. The premise of the 2026 TOK Essay Title 1—that observation, the bedrock of science, is also inherently flawed—demanded a rigorous inquiry. To understand the stakes, I sat down with a science expert to challenge the maxim, 'seeing 'is believing.' Our discussion was a deep dive into the mechanisms of scientific knowledge: how the very act of observation is shaped by the techniques and tools we use; what the true nature of these perceptual flaws is; and the intricate methods developed to 'correct' for human and technical bias. This conversation reveals why this foundational vulnerability is not a weakness to be hidden, but a critical, defining characteristic of the natural sciences.

Guest: Dr. Simon Griffin  
Music: Rhea Ng and Delphine Wu, Feb 2025

Observation is essential but flawed

2026 TOK Essay Title 2: To what extent do you agree that doubt is central to the pursuit of knowledge? Answer with reference to two areas of knowledge.

This title seems to pick up in the middle of a debate about the nature of knowledge, and how it has shifted over time… particularly with the 21st century focus on STEM, and a scientific approach to knowledge. For me, as an art teacher, the idea that doubt is essential to the pursuit of knowledge is counter-intuitive, even corrosive; how can one create without a measure of belief? I recognized the deep, conflicting roles doubt plays in our two fields. To bridge that ideological gap and truly understand the scientific methodology, I pulled a brilliant Physics teacher away from his formulas and into a necessary conversation.

Guest: Mr. Saif Ullah (Physics Teacher)
Music: Julia Shi performing Claude Debussy, Feb 2025

Doubt is Central

2026 TOK Essay Title 3: Is the power of knowledge determined by the way in which the knowledge is conveyed? 
Discuss with reference to mathematics and one other area of knowledge. Can knowledge stand on its own, or does its impact entirely depend on the packaging? That is the provocative challenge of the 2026 TOK Essay Title 3: "Is the power of knowledge determined by the way in which the knowledge is conveyed?" This question is particularly complex when applied to Mathematics, where facts are absolute yet their transformative power often lies hidden behind specialized notation and formal proofs. To navigate this question, I’ve brought back one of our sharpest and most valued podcast guests to help us dissect how the delivery system shapes the destiny of knowledge.

Guest: Mr. Kevin Hoye (TOK & IB English Literature Teacher)
Music: Our school orchestra performance of Shostakovich, May 2025


Power in the medium

在獲取知識的過程中，我們對某事物的理解程度是否僅能達到我們對該事物情境的理解程度？帶著這個問題，我們特意邀請了王紅櫻老師、張熙老師參與了這一期的知識論清談。期間老師們對於情境與知識的討論有趣有深刻，期待大家收聽。

In the acquisition of knowledge, can we only understand something to the extent that we understand its context? 
Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge. With this question, we invited Teachers Wang Hongying and Zhang Xi to join this session of our epistemology discussion. Their insights on context and knowledge were both interesting and profound. We hope everyone tunes in!
Hosts: 孫秀東老師
Guests: 王紅櫻老師、張熙老師

知識與情境 Knowledge and Context

在知識的產生過程中，詮釋在多大程度上是一種可靠的工具？
在本期知識論清談中，我們有幸邀請到中國文化研究中心的張玉龍老師，他的深厚學識和獨到見解為我們的討論增添了無限光彩。張老師的專業背景使他能夠深入剖析詮釋與知識之間的複雜關係。他的思考不僅啟發了我們對知識本質的重新思考，也讓我們感受到詮釋在知識生成過程中的重要性和挑戰。期待大家收聽這期節目，感受張老師的智慧和魅力。

2026 TOK Essay Title 6: To what extent is interpretation a reliable tool in the production of knowledge? Answer with reference to history and one other area of knowledge.
In this episode of our TOK talk, we're pleased to welcome Dr. Zhang Yulong from the China Cultural Research Center. His deep knowledge and unique insights greatly enrich our discussion. Dr. Zhang's expertise enables him to analyze the complex relationship between interpretation and knowledge. His thoughts inspire us to rethink the nature of knowledge and highlight the importance and challenges of interpretation in the knowledge generation process. We look forward to everyone tuning in to experience Dr. Zhang's wisdom and charm.

Host: 孫秀東老師
Guest:張玉龍老師


詮釋與知識 Interpretation as a reliable tool

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