Epistemology

For my first Get Out paper, I have chosen to write about Epistemology. Epistemology is known to be the study of human knowledge. It simply explains how we get it, what it is, whether we have it, or why we don 't. Each philosopher had a different theory about knowledge and how we come about it. Descartes believed that if we wanted to believe in something with a certainty, that we had to first doubt everything that we already know. In other words, we had to simply pretend that everything was…

Metaphysics and Epistemology deal with theories of reality and knowledge. Those two domains of philosophy exhibit a close relationship since our understanding of reality affects our perception of knowledge. Philosophy explores an unlimited array of ideas, including religion. In the field of religion, the nature and existence of a higher power (God) are explored as well as the immortality of the soul, miracles, and the comprehensibility of religious language as factual statements (Alexander, 2010…

Epistemology can be simply defined as the study of knowledge and justified truth. Throughout this semester I was introduced to each of the different theories of epistemology and how they apply to different people’s lives. Epistemology involves a numerous amount of theories, but four of the theories in particular caught my attention. The four theories that I was able to directly and indirectly analyze were: the correspondence theory, nihilism, empiricism, and relativism. Each of these theories…

1 The words ontology and epistemology seem like confusing and broad terms, however, an individual makes ontological assumptions and takes epistemological stances throughout their entire life, usually without realizing such. Ontology is "the study of being. It is concerned with 'what is ', with the nature of existence, with the structure of reality as such" (Crotty 1998). Our assumptions about the nature of being, create our epistemology which is defined as "the theory of knowledge embedded in…

Epistemology is the study of knowledge. It is mainly distressed with what we can know about our world and the ways that we can know it. Epistemologists separate themselves with a number of tasks and sort them into categories. First, opting the nature of knowledge…

that is considered truth, but also the validation process of arriving at that truth. I need to ask how I know? What does it mean to say something is true and what is the genesis of that truth? For the purpose of this essay, I will discuss the epistemologies of Plato’s and Patricia Hill Collins to include the validation process, the dimensions by which knowledge is gained, and the implications for education. In addition I will argue that experience is a form of knowledge. Plato’s…

Two of the most intriguing schools of philosophy are the two which deal specifically with epistemology, or, what is better known as the origin of knowledge. Although they are not completely opposite of one another, they are argued in depth by two of the most famous philosophers in history. The origins of study in rationalism and empiricism can be found in the 17th century, during a time when various significant developments were made in the fields of astronomy and mechanics. These advancements…

of knowledge (epistemology) Epistemology is the examination of the nature and extent of knowledge itself. It determines the nature of knowledge in addition to how it presents to similar concepts such as truth, belief and justification.1 It try’s to justify the fundamental question, what tells us the difference between true adequate knowledge from false inadequate knowledge?2 It also attempts us to be able to answer “How do we know?”3 because do we really know anything? Epistemology is important…

Epistemology is the nature of knowledge and how we know what we know to be true. We acquire knowledge through our experiences and everyday life. For example, if we had no memories we would not be able to think for ourselves, and we would have nothing to rely on. However, if a woman did lose her memory she would have to base her knowledge off of facts such as photos and family member’s experiences to prove to herself what has happened in her life. Also, everyone acquires their knowledge…

What is epistemology? In laymen’s terms, it is the study of knowledge and if its formal definition is given, according to Oxford dictionary, it is the study of knowledge, in regards to its method, validity, and scope. It is the investigation of what distinguishes justified beliefs and pure opinion (“Epistemology”). What does it really mean outside of its textbook meaning? Carl Sagan helps readers understand it in his book, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, through one of…