IB 2021 MAY TOK ESSAY – Grade A

Title 3. “Labels are a necessity in the organization of knowledge, but they also constrain our understanding.” Discuss this statement with reference to two areas of knowledge.

We continue to learn knowledge throughout our lives. However, the way in which we accept and process the new information would be unproductive if they are disorganized and complicated. Therefore, we use labels as a means of organization to speed up the process of learning. Labels to my understanding is a type of classification to distinguish a set of objects, persons, or ideas from another using words or short phrases, thus shaping our perception and interpretation.

“Labels put people in boxes, and those boxes are shaped like coffins” (“Chirlane McCray”). This is a quote by Chirlane McCray who suggests potential danger of labeling as it limits people’s perspective thus leading them to blindly and wrongly accept knowledge. However, it is highly doubtful whether this statement is always true. If labels have negative implication on our understanding all the time, are they only used for organization of knowledge? Also, I believe that the term “understanding” can mean differently in different situations. This leads to a question whether understanding is about knowing all minor details or knowing only important concepts.

To what extent are labels beneficial or detrimental to our understanding in different areas of knowledge? How do they distort the way we perceive and thus act as a hindrance to our understanding? What are some possible consequences of simplification of knowledge system? To answer the question in depth, I will look into History and Natural Sciences, which necessitates labels to provide information in an organized manner…