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Theory of Knowledge Exhibition

Are some things unknowable?

IB Theory of Knowledge

May 2026 Examination Session

​ The ToK prompt I chose was “Are some things unknowable?” was drawn to this

question because it raises the possibility that there are things we might never fully understand, no

matter how much progress we make. To explore this idea, I first considered what “unknowable”

actually means. Does it refer to something we just do not know yet, or something that will

always remain beyond our understanding? Asking this led me to realize that a lack of

knowability can come from many sources, such as limitations in human perception, ethical

concerns, or the current boundaries of scientific knowledge. This exhibition is based on the

theme Knowledge and the Knower, which looks at how personal perspectives and cognitive

limits affect what we can and cannot know.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0042698904005152

My first artifact is the Necker cube, which is an optical illusion that can be interpreted in two

distinct ways depending on how the viewer’s brain processes it. When viewed, the cube appears

to flip between two orientations, even though the image itself remains unchanged. It is

impossible to determine which side is supposed to be the front, so the brain alternates between

the possibilities. I like this illusion specifically because I have figured out how to consciously

control which orientation I can see, which is something I usually struggle with. This object

relates to the knowledge question because it highlights how perception affects our ability to

know something. In the real world, a physical object has only one true orientation, but with the

Necker Cube, that same orientation is ambiguous and entirely dependent on the viewer. This
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suggests that in situations like this one, knowledge is limited by the interpretive nature of human

perception, making certain truths effectively unknowable.

https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-at-home-dna-paternity-test-kit/ID=300440078-pro

duct

My second artifact is a DNA paternity test kit. DNA paternity testing is a method used to

analyze and compare different DNA profiles to see if an individual is a biological parent of a

specific child. Tests like these are often used in situations where there is uncertainty about a

father’s legal and/or biological relationship to a child. The results of such examinations can lead

to major consequences in matters like custody and inheritance. I have become especially

interested in this technology after learning that paternity tests are banned for commercial use in

France unless specifically ordered by a judge.

This object addresses the ethical implications of knowing: about whether some things

should be knowable. Returning to the example of France, DNA paternity testing is not allowed

for commercial use because families may break apart when the truth is revealed. The government

concluded that the potential damage caused by uncovering these kinds of truths was greater than

the benefit of knowing them, and so the tests were restricted to protect family unity. This

challenges the idea that more knowledge is always better. In some cases, like this one, forcibly

making things unknowable could be seen as a way to preserve stability and emotional

well-being. This object highlights the conflict between scientific objectivity and the emotional or

ethical complications that can come with personal knowledge.

https://physicscommunication.ie/maxwells-demon-a-paradox-in-physics/

​ My third artifact is Maxwell’s Demon, a well-known thought experiment in physics. It

describes a hypothetical being that controls a small door between two gas chambers, letting only

the faster-moving molecules through. Over time, this would create a temperature difference

without using any energy, which seems to lower the system’s entropy. If true, this would violate

the second law of thermodynamics, which states that entropy in an isolated system can never
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decrease. At the time it was proposed, the idea challenged a fundamental part of physics and

raised serious doubts about the limits of what we could truly know. The thought experiment

seemed to suggest that our understanding of thermodynamics could be incomplete.

​ This artifact connects strongly to my knowledge question because it illustrates an actual

limit in our understanding of the natural world that, in turn, inhibits knowability. For a time, this

experiment introduced the chance that there were aspects of thermodynamics that were

fundamentally unknowable and/or misunderstood. Fortunately, over time, developments in the

fields of statistical mechanics and information theory helped resolve this paradox. Scientists

realized that the demon itself would need to process information, as well as energy to function,

and so once those costs were accounted for, the second law remained valid. This example

demonstrates the idea that things may seem unknowable until new methods of understanding are

developed. It also shows that the knowability of things can shift over time and raises questions

on whether there are absolute limits to human knowledge or if perceived limits are only

temporary.

​ Through my artifacts, I have come to understand that “knowability” isn’t as

straightforward as I initially believed, but is dependent on how we view the world, on how we

interpret the value in knowing things, and how far we have progressed in our understanding of

the universe around us. This exhibition has shown me that knowability is shaped by a

combination of perception, ethics, and the current boundaries of human understanding.

References

AKornmeier, J., & Bach, M. (2004). The Necker cube—An ambiguous figure disambiguated in

early visual processing. Vision Research, 44(9), 955–960.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2003.10.027

Walgreens. (n.d.). Walgreens at-home DNA paternity test kit. Retrieved May 1, 2025, from

https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-at-home-dna-paternity-test-kit/ID=300440078-pro

duct

International Biosciences UK. (2015, July 15). Paternity testing ban upheld in France.

https://www.ibdna.com/paternity-testing-ban-upheld-in-france/

Physics Communication. (n.d.). Maxwell’s demon: A paradox in physics? Retrieved May 1,

2025, from https://physicscommunication.ie/maxwells-demon-a-paradox-in-physics/