Epistemology

Is there a difference between justified true belief and knowledge? For the philosopher Plato, these terms defined knowledge, until the philosopher Edmund Gettier proposed the contrary. Gettier suggested the knowledge is more than true justified and belief, so according to Gettier Plato’s theory does not define knowledge, because true, belief and justification can be satisfy. However, it does not exactly mean knowledge. Knowledge from my point of view is more complex than what Plato proposed. In…

Susana Siegel made a convincing case how cognitive penetration (CP) may be problematic for dogmatism. Still, I feel that CP has some shortcomings. First, it is plausible that CP is out of our control – in Siegel’s terms, all cases of CP may be analogous with being “zapped”1. Second, it seems that one must be aware of CP in order for it to be problematic. If a subject has such awareness, however, CP becomes a sneaky defeater and fits the mold of dogmatism. Before proceeding, I will define…

“I think we have a stray dog,” I explain while he refills the dog’s bowls. “Can you check under the deck?” “How would an entire dog get underneath our deck?” he asked condescendingly. “I’m not sure! Just believe me, something is under there,” I exclaim pointing at the deck. Despite investigating for a solid thirty minutes, my father returns with no news of seeing a stray dog. While the howling is too loud for me, he sleeps through the night without hearing anything. However, because neither…

The Matrix, Plato, and Descartes question the reliability of perception and senses when discerning whether reality is true or not. In addition, they The Matrix is the story of the human race lying unconscious in machines while their brains are connected to a computer in which creates a virtual reality (The Matrix, 1999). In Plato’s allegory of the cave, Plato asks Glaucon to imagine that humans are chained to a wall, and if freed would they know the difference between reality and the shadows…

In Chapter 3 of “Theorizing race: Examining experiences of racialized families in the child welfare system” by Daniel Kikulwe he focuses on the theorization of race, using power,knowledge, and the subject which is Michel Foucault’s theory. This chapter mentions how race and racism is limited towards child welfare institutions. In chapter 11, “Deconstructing Hybrid Spaces: Internationally Educated Nurses of Colour in Canada” by Nadia Prendergast it talks about educated nurses of colour not having…

There comes a point in time when all people must begin to assess the truths they acknowledge. This process can either result in a strengthening of the beliefs one already holds as they further confirm the ideologies, or it can result in a complete reversal of all that one previously held as true with respect to a certain facet of their beliefs. Throughout the course of my life I previously gave very little thought and reflection to the beliefs I held. I was held under the perspective that they…

Descartes uses a structural method of dissecting and questioning knowledge to establish truth amongst provided information. The introspection into his method begins in part one, when he sets the mental foundation for the proper understanding of real world elements and emphasizes how unreliable reasoning and perspective can be. In part two Descartes, uses personal experiences to demonstrate real world applications of his own method. Lastly, Descartes remains true to his method of reasoning ,…

Both of the class readings by Carnap and Goldstein discuss what being considered a scientific facts means. Carnap refers to scientific facts as a singular statement that needs to be differentiated from universal laws due to the common misconception. Carnap argues that many people confuse laws with facts and use the term in the wrong sense. An example from Carnap’s writing is the statement that “all ice is cold” this would be considered a universal law because it suggests that any piece of ice at…

In the age of the Internet personal liberty in speech and thought needs to be left with as little amount of censoring as possible. We see this increased call for censorship because as a society, you see a greater intolerance for truths that go against other people’s beliefs. Like John Stuart Mill, I believe that by maximizing personal liberty of speech we will create a greater society because we will all be free to discuss our views and hear the ones against us to further develop ideas and…

Life is Not That Easy In the book “The Achievement Habit” by Roth, Bernard, the theme of chapter two “Reasons are Bullshit” is do not use reasons to justify someone 's behavior. The main point is to stop using reasons to get out of certain situations and to stop making those certain actions seem reasonable. Roth’s rhetorical appeals and arguments are effective because he explains how reason are simply excuses to hide what people 's priorities really are. Roth backs up his argument using…