IB TOK Explained Ep 4: Why you can't say that “mathematics is certain”

The focus in the 4th episode is the claim that “mathematics is certain”. Very frequently it is an argument that appears in TOK discussions when mathematics is used as an example of absolute certainty, an area of knowledge that has no room for subjective interpretation or bias. Alexey shows why this claim is superficial. The focus here is on mathematics itself – the deductive axiomatic system that gradually builds itself from axioms to theorems – and not on its numerous applications. It is this deductive axiomatic system that may be “uncertain” in important ways. In this series Alexey explains key TOK concepts – simply, but not simplistically. If you know these concepts and how to use them, you will be able to construct deep meaningful arguments in your TOK essay and your TOK exhibition. You will understand TOK. CREDITS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY: • Image credits: all images taken from open sources (Powtoon, Pixabay, Wikimedia Commons) under Creative Common licenses. • Boolos, G. (1994). Gödel’s Second Incompleteness Theorem Explained in Words of One Syllable. Mind, 103 (409), p. 1 – 3. doi.org/10.1093/mind/103.409.1 Look for other episodes in our full TOK playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8QtAUy8cD-LL79g5bZWBR9BiTEPIc9AG THEM ED'S IB TOK RESOURCES ✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸ ✦ IB TOK - A STUDENT'S GUIDE: https://store.themantic-education.com/collections/textbooks/products/ib-theory-of-knowledge-a-students-guide-textbook ✦FREE MENU OF LESSONS: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1jlOS8pL4ZhoBRgEEaZWK-7zse6bQQ9y1IKlmMpavfvE/edit?usp=sharing ✦ALL IB TOK Resources: https://store.themantic-education.com/collections/ib-theory-of-knowledge THEM ED'S SOCIAL MEDIA ✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸✸ ✦ BLOG: https://www.themantic-education.com/ibtok/ ✦ IB TOK TEACHER GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/themed.ibtok.teachers ✦ YOUTUBE TOK PLAYLIST: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8QtAUy8cD-LL79g5bZWBR9BiTEPIc9AG