Doxa and Episteme.

DOXA AND EPISTEME
A. ANCIENT ROOTS
•To know the truth is

different from believing
something to be true.
A. ANCIENT ROOTS
•We are not supposed to

believe all views
presented to us as true.
A. ANCIENT ROOTS
Appearance
Something that Reality
appears to be
true is not FALSE vs. TRUE
automatically ILLUSIONS vs. REAL
true.
A. ANCIENT ROOTS
KNOWLEDGE
Episteme in Greek
we are not concerned with
mere belief or OPINION
EPISTEMOLOGY Doxa in Greek
-deals to a problem of knowledge
A. ANCIENT ROOTS
•Every person has a set of

beliefs or opinions.
•We recognize and
celebrate diversity.
A. ANCIENT ROOTS
•To know is to be able to

give rational justification.
•Human beings discover,
unveil, and seek truth.
A. ANCIENT ROOTS
•Man has to exert mental effort

to know some of these truths.
•His rational capacity is his tool
in such endeavor.
A. ANCIENT ROOTS
•The same emphasis on reason

as a tool is found in Aristotle.
He developed SYLLOGISM to
demonstrate the truth of a
claim or conclusion.
A. ANCIENT ROOTS
•SYLLOGISM is a deductive
argument of a certain form
where a conclusion is
inferred from two premises.
A. ANCIENT ROOTS
claim. Socrates is mortal

valid
1st premise. All men are mortal
2nd premise. Socrates is a man.
A. ANCIENT ROOTS
claim. Johnny is a monkey.

invalid
1st premise. All monkeys eat banana.
2nd premise. Johnny eats banana.
A. ANCIENT ROOTS
claim. My car has wheels

valid
1st premise. All cars have wheels
2nd premise. I drive a car.
A. ANCIENT ROOTS
claim. I’m holding a flower

valid
1st premise. All roses are flowers.
2nd premise. This is a rose.
B. MODERN LEGACY
• The most important contribution

was made by Rene Descartes.
• “Father of Modern Philosophy”
for introducing the notion of
indubitability.
“from my earliest years, I have accepted
many false opinions as true, and that what
I have concluded from such badly assured
premises could not but be highly doubtful
and uncertain. From the time that I first
recognized this fact, I have realized that if I
wished to have any firm and constant
knowledge in the sciences, I would have to
undertake, once and for all, to set aside all
the opinions which I have previously
accepted among my beliefs and start again
from the very beginning.”
B. MODERN LEGACY
•Statements that are false,

doubtful, or uncertain, cannot
be used as basis for
knowledge.
B. MODERN LEGACY
•Those statements that cannot
be doubted are those that are
so clear and so distinct that
one cannot rationally doubt
or reject it.
B. MODERN LEGACY
•“cogito, ergo sum”

•I think, therefore I exist
C. CONTEMPORARY PERIOD
•One of the most notable

denials in the period known as
postmodernism is the attack
on the notion of an objective
reality.
•Since there is no objective
reality, there is no TRUTH.
•Regarding human nature, they
claimed that much of who we
are is socially determined.
• Jacques Derrida developed

deconstruction which challenged
traditional views in philosophy by
looking at the structures of language
to open up limitless interpretations.
To find essence is to
Plato find knowledge.
Non-essential elements or
appearance is the basis of
Derrida everything that can be spoken
or written.
Derrida
Non-essential elements or appearance is the
basis of everything that can be spoken or written.
Non-essential elements are words or
phrases of a sentence which do not contain
information essential to the meaning of the
sentence as a whole.
Example:
Jan, the second of three
children, always feels left out.
Main clause Jan always feels left out.
Nonessential
phrase: the second of three children
Example:
Jan, the second of three
children, always feels left out.
Main clause Jan always feels left out.
Nonessential
phrase: the second of three children
Jan always feels left

out because she is the
second of three children.
1. The woman who owns the local bookstore
claims to have seen a unicorn.
2. Anita, who owns the local bookstore,
3. Anita owns the local bookstore, and she
4. At the bookstore which she owns, Anita
told me she has seen a unicorn.
•Many students nowadays tend
to think that beliefs do not
need to be justifies.
•“What is true for you, may not
be true for me.”
• To think this way is dangerous and
irresponsible.
• Learning is a life-long activity. Be
diligent enough to know more so you
can make progress in your journey to
truth.
EPISTEMOLOGY
The branch of philosophy
that is concerned with the
problem of knowledge
DOXA
The Greek term
for opinion
PLATO
The modern philosopher
who gave the criteria of
clear and distinct ideas
ARISTOTLE
An ancient philosopher
who invented the syllogism
as proof or demostration
JACQUES DERRIDA
The contemporary
philosopher to whom
deconstruction is
attributed

Doxa and Episteme.

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DOXA AND EPISTEME

•To know the truth is

•We are not supposed to

•Every person has a set of

•To know is to be able to

•Man has to exert mental effort

•The same emphasis on reason

claim. Socrates is mortal

claim. Johnny is a monkey.

claim. My car has wheels

claim. I’m holding a flower

• The most important contribution

•Statements that are false,

•“cogito, ergo sum”

•One of the most notable

• Jacques Derrida developed

Jan always feels left

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