Is ToK Philosophy? Why the Answer Matters More Than You Think

Recently, a friend returned from a Theory of Knowledge (ToK) teacher training workshop. At the event, there was a session boldly titled “ToK is not philosophy.” That statement — made without room for discussion — surprised me. Not because I’m firmly convinced that ToK is philosophy, but because such an absolute claim seems to fly in the face of the very values that ToK promotes: open-minded inquiry, the exploration of assumptions, and the questioning of knowledge itself.

This blog post isn’t an argument that ToK must be classified as philosophy. Rather, it’s an invitation to reflect on what such a classification means — and why how we categorise ToK tells us something important about how we view knowledge.

Why the “ToK is not philosophy” claim doesn’t hold up

At the workshop, three reasons were given to justify the statement that ToK is not philosophy. Let’s take a closer look at each one, and why I think they are problematic.

1. ToK teachers don’t need a background in academic philosophy

True. But neither do teachers of philosophy in many schools. Organisations like Philosophy for Children have developed excellent resources that help teachers of all subjects engage students in philosophical inquiry, regardless of whether they hold a philosophy degree.

In fact, insisting that only those trained in academic philosophy can teach philosophy narrows the field dangerously. Teachers of Art, Physics, or Economics often guide students through rich, reflective questions about meaning, truth, and value — philosophical questions, by any definition. Metacognition is universal. If we’re prepared to say that ToK teachers can’t be philosophy teachers, we must also say the same about countless other educators who explore ideas with philosophical depth every day. That feels both inaccurate and unnecessarily restrictive.

2. ToK students aren’t required to learn the names of philosophers or their schools of thought

Again, this is accurate. But it misunderstands what philosophy actually is. Philosophy is not defined by its canon — it is defined by its methods: questioning, reasoning, reflection, and critical engagement with the nature of reality and knowledge.

Philosophy can occur without ever naming Plato, Hume or de Beauvoir. Some of the most accessible philosophical thinking has emerged through unusual channels. The Tao of Pooh is an entire philosophical framework presented through Winnie-the-Pooh. Haruki Murakami’s What I Talk About When I Talk About Running explores the philosophical insights he discovers through long-distance running. Artists such as Kandinsky, Duchamp, Kapoor, and Yoko Ono have explicitly described making art as a philosophical process.

Likewise, many scientists — Newton, Einstein, Sagan, Hawking — have made major philosophical contributions through scientific practice. Even Marcus Aurelius, whose Meditations remain a staple of Stoic philosophy, was a Roman Emperor, not a professional philosopher. By the logic of that workshop, his writings would not qualify as philosophy either.

3. ToK is a reflective process that draws on students’ own experiences rather than a fixed body of knowledge

Yes, ToK is reflective. But so is philosophy. Reflection is central to philosophical practice, just as it is in ToK. Philosophers from Buddha and Jesus to Foucault and Alan de Botton have taken retreat — physical or mental — to reflect deeply on the human condition.

Alan de Botton’s writing demonstrates that art, travel, love, work, and even supermarket cafés can be sites of philosophical reflection. If all of those things can be considered philosophy, why not ToK?

At its best, ToK teaches students to ask second-order questions: How do we know?, What counts as good evidence?, Who decides what knowledge is valuable? These are not merely academic queries — they are philosophical ones.

ToK Retreats are a very popular way to give reflective time and space for ToK. The retreat has a long history in philosophical enquiry.

So… Is ToK Philosophy?

Let’s take a working definition: Philosophy is an enquiry into the nature of being, and our knowledge of it. Under this definition, ToK is doing philosophy — whether or not it follows the traditional formats of a university syllabus.

No, students don’t need to cite Locke or Nietzsche. But they are reflecting on how knowledge is constructed in Mathematics, the Arts, the Human Sciences and more. They are exploring what counts as truth, what counts as bias, and what role values play in shaping understanding. They are asking how we know what we know.

That is the philosophical enterprise.

Why this matters

This isn’t just a theoretical debate. It has practical implications. How we define ToK shapes how we teach it, how we value it, and how we help students engage with it. To say that ToK is not philosophy is to suggest it exists outside of long traditions of reflective thinking — which may unintentionally undermine the depth of what ToK can be.

Conversely, recognising the philosophical dimensions of ToK empowers both teachers and students. It acknowledges that their reflections matter, that their enquiries connect to broader human conversations, and that their thinking can stand alongside centuries of debate about knowledge, truth and meaning.

Final Thought

When a student asks, “How can we be certain this is true?”, or “Why does it matter who produces knowledge?”, they are not simply ticking a box on the ToK rubric. They are stepping into the philosophical tradition — perhaps without even knowing it.

And that’s the point. You don’t need to name it philosophy for it to be philosophy.

But equally, let’s not be too quick to say what it definitely isn’t.

For more reflections on ToK, knowledge questions, and the occasional philosophical tangent, explore the rest of the ToKToday blog — or check out the YouTube channel for videos, examples and ToK-winning tips.

Stay philosophical,

Daniel, Lisbon, June 2025