TOK ESSAY STRUCTURE

Research question: Nothing is more exciting than fresh ideas, so why are areas of
knowledge often so slow to adopt them?

AOK 1- The arts

AOK 2- Human sciences

Key terms
- Fresh ideas
- Exciting
- Adopt

The why’s (to dismantle the statement)

- Are fresh ideas always that exciting?
- Why that AOK are often slow to adopt fresh ideas?
- What does it mean to adopt fresh ideas? What does it imply?

Structure:
- Introduction: define key terms, dismantle the title, refer the AOK that are going
to be explored and state the thesis statement that is going to be defended (short
answer to the prompt).
- Body (3 parts):
1st part--- AOK 1
Connect AOK 1 with the prompt and define AOK 1.
Evidence: real-life examples (pro-promt examples) (give personal examples if possible)
Counterclaim: give contrary arguments
Evidence- real-life examples (con-promt examples) (give personal examples if possible)
Mini conclusion: Analyse the real-life examples (pro+con) + connect the thesis
statement and the title.
2nd part- AOK 2
Connect AOK 2 with the prompt and define AOK 2.
Evidence: real-life examples (pro-promt examples) (give personal examples if possible)
Counterclaim: give contrary arguments
Evidence- real-life examples (con-promt examples) (give personal examples if possible)
Mini conclusion: Analyse the real-life examples (pro+con) + connect the thesis
statement and the title.
3rd part- Compare
Compare and contrast AOK 1 and AOK 2
Show how my arguments answer the prompt

- Conclusion: Repeat my thesis, use my “mini-conclusions” to write a final

conclusion, discuss implications, …

Examples to use:
AOK 1 (human sciences)- Why have psychologists been slow to adopt telehealth?
(example that supports that HS are slow to adopt fresh ideas)
- The Liar’s Dividend (example that supports that HS are
being really quick to adopt the new idea of AI)
- Economics rational decision-making

AOK 2 (the arts)- Salon de Refuses (example that supports that the arts are quick to
reject new ideas, and therefore, are slow to adopt new artworks ideas)
-NFT’s (“non-fungible token”) (example that supports that the arts are
being really quick adopting the new idea of NFT’s)

Examples in the human sciences

Why have psychologists been slow to adopt telehealth? - pro example

psychologists were hesitant to use telehealth owing to lack of training, concerns for
client safety, and privacy, among other concerns.
- lack of clear ethical and professional guidance
- concerns with establishing rapport, communicating empathy, conversation flow
- loss of non-verbal signs (the ability to detect crying, anxiety, alcohol use and issues
with client hygiene)
- Technological difficulties, such as poor internet connection and audio-visual quality ,
can be barriers for a client well-being.

Why is it related to the prompt?

This new idea of telehealth due to the lockdown needed to be tested in order to give
client’s the best solution for their mental health.

The Liar’s Dividend- con example

Strategic and false allegations of misinformation (fake news and deepfakes) benefit
politicians by helping them maintain support in the face of information damaging to
their reputation.

Why is it related to the prompt?

It explains how technology has made us suspicious of everything. If we know that lies
are out there, then what should we believe?

Examples in the arts

Salon de Refuses- pro example
Art exhibition held in 1863 in Paris by command of Napoleon III for those artists whose
works had been refused by the jury of the official Salon.

Why is it related to the prompt?

It is an example of new ideas being banned; the “refused” art has become more famous
than the art that was allowed.

NFT’s (“non-fungible token”)- con example

NFT’s are a special digital certificate that proves ownership and uniqueness of a digital
item, like artwork, music, videos, virtual real estate, or even tweets. People can buy,
sell, or trade them.
Why is it related to the prompt?
NFTs represent a new, innovative, and digital concept in the art world. When NFTs were
introduced, they challenged traditional ways of art, and the audience has grown in this
new concept. Therefore, this fresh idea of NFT has been adopted quickly into the art
world.

Ideas:
- Title is linked by the concept of time.
- “Fresh ideas”—present time---- they trigger change/progress in knowledge.
The speed of the change can be fast/slow—it
takes time to evaluate critically the relevant aspects
of those ideas in the pursuit of knowledge.
- Organize the essay by “why”.
- Key words: fresh ideas, exciting, slow, adopt.
- Concepts that need clarification: more exciting, fresh ideas, slow, adopt.
- Ambiguities: nothing is more exciting than fresh ideas.
AOK are slow to adopt fresh ideas.
New=good

- Questions related: Are fresh ideas always that exciting?

What does it mean that they are exciting?
What is the meaning of fresh ideas?
When have AOK been slow to adopt fresh ideas?
When have AOK been not slow to adopt fresh ideas?
Is it true/why that AOK are often slow to adopt fresh ideas? –
paradigms, values/culture/worldview, reliability/justification (It needs to be tested)
- What does it mean to adopt fresh ideas? What does it imply?
- Who adopts new ideas? Who determine within AOK what ideas are adopted?
- What other values are there for AOK besides innovation? (Is it the same for
every AOK?)
- In the arts, are the implications a meaning for not value the old artworks?
Nothing is more exciting than fresh ideas, so why are areas of knowledge often so slow
to adopt them?
Possible answers:
Why have some AOK’s are slowly adopted new ideas
- The claim was hard to believe.
- The new idea was hard to understand, even by experts.
- Current paradigm was challenged.
- Common belief was challenged.

Or
Slowly accepting fresh ideas can also be viewed as a good thing
- The idea was wrong.
- The AOK accepts new ideas slowly, as to only accept the truth.
- Source of knowledge can be suspect.
- It needs to be tested.

How are fresh ideas adopted in the arts:

-

Proof that they are slow to adopt new ideas:

- There are some traditional and old artworks that can be challenged/threatened.
- There are some ideas that can be hard to believe since it can confront traditional
artistic methods.
- Audience acceptance is a slow process.

Proof that they are not slow to adopt new ideas:

- Fresh ideas in art can be accepted slowly, as to only accept the best for the artists
and the audience.
- Source of knowledge of that artwork can be suspect.
 How are fresh ideas adopted in the human sciences:
- X

Proof that they are slow to adopt new ideas:

- S

Proof that they are not slow to adopt new ideas:

- X

Arguments:
- We cannot be sure if something is art unless we are sure of the artist’s intention.
- In the start of 20th century, art started to be an opened concept, almost impossible
to define, since everyday objects can now have an aesthetic value. But, if
everything is art, then art loses its meaning.
- Who decides the value of an artwork?
- Evaluation of an artwork: understand its goal and the goals of art.
- Does art teach us something? Artworks can either change a person’s world
perception or provide knowledge about the world.
- Art requires knowledge: it needs artistic skills, knowledge of techniques and
knowledge of artistic materials and how they behave.
- Learning from art doesn’t mean that we are affected or influences by it. It should
provide some degree of justification.
- Individual artworks don’t lose its particularity. Individual artwork = individual
creativity.
- Different perspectives don’t exclude each other. Instead, they are discarded by
the others since it reflects their different ways of looking at the same reality.
- Art uses language in an evocative way. It generates questions, raises awareness,
and problematizes.
- In the arts, there is space for generalization (the artist’s style, historical period, or
type of art). This means that arts don’t have laws and so, we can identify
different tendencies as a way of giving an understanding of an artwork and its
context.
- The arts make us expand our understanding of human experience.
- Art has the power of just enjoy the artwork itself without having to explain it. It
has also the power to shape values and beliefs. Every art has ethical meaning.
However, having more artistic background information give us a more informed
judgement, and therefore, we can take more out of art.
- Can a bad artist produce good art? Is it good to enjoy an artwork from an
immoral artist?
- Engaging with an artwork doesn’t imply endorsing the morality of the artist.
- Instead of asking “is the artist a monster?”, we must ask “is the artwork asking
me to be complicit in the monstrosity?”
- Some find it useless to ignore the artist’s biography when assessing and
interpreting their work.
- Works of art are inserted into time and place of when they were created. To
understand them, we may need to know their contexts.
- There are some artworks that disrespect some values such as dignity, justice, and
privacy. In these cases, should we censor these artworks?
- Exhibiting or not an artwork is a moral decision.