Real-World  

Real-World Example or Textbook Example

Know the Difference

TOK students often ask whether an example has to be a real-world example. The better question is: does the example let you analyse knowledge in action? A real-world case is often stronger because it shows knowledge being produced, challenged, communicated, or misunderstood. But a textbook example can still work if you use it carefully and do not just repeat subject content.

When Textbook Examples Help

A real-world example usually has context, stakes, and uncertainty. For example, a medical guideline changing after new evidence shows how methods affect confidence. A historical interpretation changing after archival evidence shows how sources shape knowledge. A court case using forensic evidence shows how expert knowledge enters public decision-making. These cases are useful because they involve real people, institutions, methods, and consequences.

When Real-World Examples Win

A textbook example is usually cleaner. It may help explain a concept, but it can become too simplified. If you use a classic science example, like a theory being replaced, make sure you are not just retelling a chapter from class. Ask what it shows about method, evidence, paradigm, model, or uncertainty. The TOK value is not the subject fact. The TOK value is what the fact reveals about knowledge.

Avoid Decorative Examples

Use the action test. Is knowledge doing something in this example? Is it being tested, revised, applied, disputed, communicated, or interpreted? If yes, the example may work. If it only illustrates a definition, it may be too static.

Choose the Example That Tests the Claim

Also use the originality caution. Do not choose a strange real-world example just to look original. If the case is so obscure that you cannot explain it clearly, it will not help. A familiar example with a precise angle is better than an obscure example with weak analysis.

The safest approach is often a real-world case with a clear knowledge mechanism. That means you can say exactly what the example reveals: how evidence was evaluated, how interpretation changed, how perspective mattered, or how a method created limits.

So the answer is not 'real-world always' or 'textbook never'. The answer is: choose the example that gives you the strongest knowledge analysis with the least descriptive baggage.

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