IB Theory of Knowledge Topic 2.3.1 How Power Decides What Counts as Knowledge Revision Notes (SL/HL)

IB Theory of Knowledge Topic 2.3.1 How Power Decides What Counts as Knowledge Revision Notes (SL/HL) | RevisionDojo

Written by official IB examiners

Power Influences What Knowledge Is Valued, Suppressed, or Promoted

Power determines which facts get shared and which methods for determining truth get treated as legitimate.
The difference is that some communities have institutional power to make their knowledge standards the default for everyone else.

Definition

Epistemic authority

The power to decide what counts as legitimate knowledge. These authorities control who gets taken seriously and who gets dismissed, determining which methods are valid and which sources are trustworthy.

Tip

Note

Power shapes knowledge by determining whose validation methods get treated as authoritative in legal systems, educational curricula, research funding, and policy decisions.

Controlling the Knowledge Pipeline

Power shapes knowledge by controlling what questions get asked in the first place.
When pharmaceutical companies spend billions researching patentable medicines but almost nothing on whether eating vegetables prevents disease, this doesn't mean the knowledge they produce is false but more so that it's just incomplete by design.
This creates opportunity cost in knowledge production.
Every dollar spent researching profitable pills is a dollar not spent researching free interventions.

Example

Climate change research funding fluctuates based on political control.
During administrations skeptical of climate science, funding shifts toward adaptation research and economic impact studies rather than emissions reduction and renewable energy development.
Same scientific methods, but different political priorities create different knowledge emphasis.

Exam technique

When analyzing knowledge claims always ask: "What research isn't being funded, and why?"
This shows you understand that knowledge gaps are often engineered, not accidental.

Establishing What Counts as Credible

Credibility systems create their own blindness.

The better a field gets at filtering out bad ideas, the worse it becomes at recognizing revolutionary ones.
This happens because the same experts who maintain quality also maintain the status quo.

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Definition

Paywall

(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Note

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation.

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit.

Tip

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

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Power Influences What Knowledge Is Valued, Suppressed, or Promoted

Power determines which facts get shared and which methods for determining truth get treated as legitimate.
The difference is that some communities have institutional power to make their knowledge standards the default for everyone else.

Definition

Epistemic authority

Tip

Note

Power shapes knowledge by determining whose validation methods get treated as authoritative in legal systems, educational curricula, research funding, and policy decisions.

Controlling the Knowledge Pipeline

Power shapes knowledge by controlling what questions get asked in the first place.
When pharmaceutical companies spend billions researching patentable medicines but almost nothing on whether eating vegetables prevents disease, this doesn't mean the knowledge they produce is false but more so that it's just incomplete by design.
This creates opportunity cost in knowledge production.
Every dollar spent researching profitable pills is a dollar not spent researching free interventions.

Example

Climate change research funding fluctuates based on political control.
During administrations skeptical of climate science, funding shifts toward adaptation research and economic impact studies rather than emissions reduction and renewable energy development.
Same scientific methods, but different political priorities create different knowledge emphasis.

Exam technique

When analyzing knowledge claims always ask: "What research isn't being funded, and why?"
This shows you understand that knowledge gaps are often engineered, not accidental.

Establishing What Counts as Credible

Credibility systems create their own blindness.

The better a field gets at filtering out bad ideas, the worse it becomes at recognizing revolutionary ones.
This happens because the same experts who maintain quality also maintain the status quo.

Definition

Paywall

(on a website) an arrangement whereby access is restricted to users who have paid to subscribe to the site.

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Note

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam quis nostrud exercitation.

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Tip

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris.
Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum.

1. Core Theme: Knowledge and the Knower2 subtopics

2. Optional Themes5 subtopics

3. Areas of Knowledge5 subtopics

4. TOK Assessments2 subtopics

6. Nov 2026 TOK Titles7 subtopics

IB Theory of Knowledge 2.3.1 How Power Decides What Counts as Knowledge Notes

1. Core Theme: Knowledge and the Knower2 subtopics

2. Optional Themes5 subtopics

3. Areas of Knowledge5 subtopics

4. TOK Assessments2 subtopics

6. Nov 2026 TOK Titles7 subtopics

Power Influences What Knowledge Is Valued, Suppressed, or Promoted

Controlling the Knowledge Pipeline

Establishing What Counts as Credible

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account

Power Influences What Knowledge Is Valued, Suppressed, or Promoted

Controlling the Knowledge Pipeline

Establishing What Counts as Credible

anim nostrud sit dolore minim proident quis fugiat velit et eiusmod nulla quis nulla mollit dolor sunt culpa aliqua

Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit

Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident

Unlock the rest of this chapter with a free account