Epistemology Western Perspective

PHILOSOPH
Y
PHILOSOPHY:
MEANING OF PHILIOSOPHY:
The word philosophy is derived from
the Greek words philia (love) and
sophia (wisdom) and means the love
of wisdom.
PHILOSOPH
PHILIOSOPHY: Y
is The study of general and fundamental
problems, such as those connected with
existence, knowledge, values, reason,
mind and language.
Pythagoras was the first man to
call himself a philosopher .(one who
Before that time the

attempting to find out).
wise men had called themselves a

Sage,(those who know)
PHILOSOPH
Branches of
PhYilosophy:
Metaphysics: Existence
Epistemology:Knowledge
Axiology: Study of Actione
Logic: study of reason
ETHICS: study of valu
EPISTEMOLOGY AN INTRODUCTION
Theory of Knowledge
WHAT IS EPISTEMOLOGY?
6/17/2010
Epistemology (from Greek ἐπιστήμη -
Epistemology an Introduction
episteme-, "knowledge, science" +
λόγος, "logos") or theory of knowledge
• The branch of philosophy concerned with the

nature and scope (limitations) of knowledge
• How knowledge is relates to truth, belief, and
justification.
• The means of production of knowledge
• Skepticism about different knowledge claims
• James Frederick Ferrier (1808–1864) 2
EPISTEMOLOGICAL QUESTIONS
6/17/2010
What is knowledge?
How is knowledge acquired?
What do people know?
How do we know what we know?
Is human knowledge trustworthy?
Can our senses be trusted?
Difference between opinion, knowledge and
wisdom
3
What Is Knowledge
6/17/2010
(i)expertise, and skills acquired by a
person through experience or
education; the theoretical or practical
understanding of a subject;
(ii)what is known in a particular field or

in total; facts and information; or
iii) awareness or familiarity gained by

experience of a fact or situation 4
EPISTEMOLOG
Y
What is Epistemology?
Epistemology (from Greek ἐπιστήμη –
episteme, Latin-scientia "knowledge" +
λόγος, "logos") or theory of
knowledge
 The studyand
knowledge of the naturebelief.
justified and scope
of
The study of our of acquiring
method knowledge.
The study of how knowledge is relates to truth,
belief, and justification.
It investigates the origin, nature, method
and limits of human knowledge.
EPISTEMOLOG
Epistemological QYuestions:
1What is knowledge? What are the sources of
knowledge? Where does genuine knowledge come
from? How is knowledge acquired?
Question of origin.
2 What is the nature of knowledge? Is there a real

world
outside the mind, and if so can we know it?
Question of appearance versus reality.
3 Is our knowledge valid? How do we distinguish

truth
from error? What makes justified beliefs justified?
Question of testing truth and verification.
EPISTEMOLOG
Y
What you didn’t know

You didn’t know that you didn’t
know
Since you didn’t know you didn’t
miss what you didn’t know
EPISTEMOLOG
Why Epistemology is important?
Epistemology is the explanation of how
we think.
Without epistemology, we could not
think.
distinguish truth from error.
consequences are obvious.
flaws in epistemology will make it harder
to accomplish anything.
EPISTEMOLOG
What are the key elements oYf a proper
Epistemology?
 Valid-Our senses are valid, and the only

way to gain information about the
world.
 Reason- is our method of gaining
knowledge, and acquiring
understanding.
 Logic- is our method of maintaining
consistency within our set of
knowledge.
 Objectivity- is our means of associating
knowledge with reality to determine its
Knowledge
What Is Knowledge?
Knowledge: isthe awareness and underst
anding of particular aspects of reality.
Knowledge requires
three necessary and
sufficient
conditions; truth,
belief and
justification.
Knowledge
Justified
True
Belief
Michael Polanyi
Knowledge
• Externalists think that factors
deemed "external", meaning
Externalism outside of the psychological states
of those who gain knowledge, can
be conditions of knowledge
• all knowledge-yielding
conditions are within the
Internalism
psychological states of those
who gain knowledge.
Knowledge
Types of Knowledge acquisition based on sources:
• is knowledge that is known
independently of experience (that
is, it is non-empirical, or arrived at
A beforehand). e.g. knowledge of
priori logical truths and of abstract
claims
• is knowledge that is known by

experience (that is, it is empirical,
A or arrived at afterward). shape of a
posteriori physical object, or knowledge
geographical locations).
of
Knowledge
theories of knowledge acquisition:
Empiricism: A role of experience, especially experience
based on perceptual observations by the five senses.
Rationalism: A knowledge acquired by the practice or

principle of basing opinions and actions on reason and
knowledge rather than on religious belief or emotional
response.
"scientific rationalism"
PHILOSOPHY
the theory that reason rather than experience is the foundation
of certainty in knowledge.
Constructivism: all knowledge is "constructed" in as much as it is
contingent (depending) on convention, human perception, and
social experience.
Knowledge
Importance of Epistemology theory in scientific research
EPISTEMOLOGY: recognize four different sources of

knowledge:
INTUITIVE KNOWLEDGE: based on feelings rather
than hard.
AUTHORITATIVE KNOWLEDGE: based on
information
received from people, books, a supreme being, etc.
LOGICAL KNOWLEDGE: arrived at by reasoning from
"point A" (which is accepted) to "point B" (the new
knowledge).
EMPIRICAL KNOWLEDGE: based on demonstrable,
objective facts determined through observation
and/or experimentation.
Knowledge
Scientific Research often makes use of all
these four ways of knowing:
INTUITIVE: when coming up with an initial
idea for research.
AUTHORITATIVE: when reviewing the
professional literature.
 LOGICAL: when reasoning from
findings to
conclusions.
EMPIRICAL: when engaging in
procedures that lead to these findings.
EPISTEMOLOG
Y
CONCLUSION:
The study of knowledge is one of the most
fundamental aspects of philosophical inquiry. Any
claim to knowledge must be evaluated to determine
whether or not it indeed constitutes knowledge. Such
an evaluation essentially requires an understanding of
what knowledge is and how much knowledge is
possible. While this entry provides on overview of the
important issues, it of course leaves the most basic
questions unanswered; epistemology will continue to
be an area of philosophical discussion as long as
these questions remain.

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PHILOSOPH

Before that time the

wise men had called themselves a

• The branch of philosophy concerned with the

(ii)what is known in a particular field or

iii) awareness or familiarity gained by

2 What is the nature of knowledge? Is there a real

3 Is our knowledge valid? How do we distinguish

What you didn’t know

 Valid-Our senses are valid, and the only

• is knowledge that is known by

Rationalism: A knowledge acquired by the practice or

EPISTEMOLOGY: recognize four different sources of

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