TOK Exhibition Object 1: A Patent Certificate for a New Invention
- Theme: Knowledge and Technology
- Rationale: A patent certificate represents a legal acknowledgment of ownership over a specific invention or idea, granting the inventor exclusive rights to use, produce, and sell the invention for a certain period. This object highlights the legal mechanisms in place to attribute ownership of knowledge in the form of intellectual property, reflecting on the balance between encouraging innovation by rewarding creators and the broader societal interest in accessing and building upon new knowledge.
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TOK Exhibition Object 2: An Open Source Software License Agreement
- Theme: Knowledge and Technology
- Rationale: Open source software, governed by licenses that allow users to freely use, modify, and distribute the software, exemplifies a communal approach to knowledge ownership. This licensing model challenges traditional notions of intellectual property by promoting collaboration and sharing, suggesting that knowledge, especially in the form of software code, can be collectively owned and improved upon by a community of users and developers.
TOK Exhibition Object 3: A Traditional Recipe Passed Down Through Generations
- Theme: Knowledge and Indigenous Societies
- Rationale: A traditional recipe, especially one that has been passed down through generations within a community or family, serves as an example of knowledge that is culturally owned. This type of knowledge, rooted in tradition and shared experience, underscores the concept of communal ownership over certain types of knowledge, where the value lies in its transmission and preservation within a cultural context rather than in legal rights or economic terms.
TOK Exhibition Object 4: A University Diploma
- Theme: Knowledge and the Knower
- Rationale: A diploma from an educational institution symbolizes the acquisition of knowledge through formal education, raising questions about the ownership of learned knowledge. While the institution provides the framework and certification of this knowledge, the ownership in terms of understanding, application, and further development of this knowledge resides with the individual learner. This object prompts reflection on the personal versus institutional aspects of knowledge ownership, especially in contexts of formal education and certification.
TOK Exhibition Object 5: A Confidentiality Agreement from a Research Institution
- Theme: Knowledge and Technology
- Rationale: Confidentiality agreements in research settings often delineate the boundaries of knowledge ownership between researchers, their institutions, and funding bodies. These agreements highlight how knowledge produced in research contexts is subject to legal and contractual agreements that govern who owns the results of research, under what conditions they can be shared, and how they can be used commercially or academically. This object reflects on the complexities of knowledge ownership in collaborative and funded research environments, where multiple stakeholders have interests in the outcomes of knowledge production.
