Transcript Epistemology - Check Out Philosophy

Epistemology
►Area
of Philosophy that deals
with questions concerning
knowledge
►Philosophy
of Knowledge
Epistemology
►Is
knowledge
possible?
►If so, how do we
obtain it?
►What does this
knowledge say
about the world?
Epistemology
Who cares?
Epistemology
► Is
it possible to
predict the future?
Allegory of the Cave
What is knowledge?
►I
believe that John
passed the test
► John did not pass the
test
►I
have no opinion
regarding whether
John passed the test
► John passed the test
► The
coin flip came up
heads so I believe that
John passed the test
► John passed the test
What is knowledge?
►I
looked at Johns test
and his score was 90%
► I have no reason to
believe that this score
is inaccurate
► Based on these
considerations I
believe that John
passed the test
► John passed the test
►True
►Justified
►Belief
Skepticism
►The
claim
that we do
not have
knowledge
Skepticism
► Senses
can be
deceived
► Universal
Belief
falsifiers:
Strategies used by
skeptics to attack
knowledge claims by
showing that there are
states of affairs that
would prevent us from
distinguishing true
beliefs from false ones
Skepticism
► General
•
•
•
•
•
skeptical argument
We can find reasons for doubting any one of our
beliefs
It follows that we can doubt all of our beliefs
If we can doubt all of our beliefs then we cannot
be certain of any of them
If we do not have certainty about any of our
beliefs then we do not have knowledge
Therefore, we do not have knowledge
Skepticism
► Rene
Descartes
► Wanted
to find the
same type of certainty
in philosophy as is
mathematics
► Methodological
skepticism
► Cogito
Ergo Sum ( I
think Therefore I am)
Empiricism
►Claim
that sense
experience is the
primary source of
our knowledge
about the world
Rationalism
►Claim
that reason
or the intellect is
the primary
source of our
knowledge about
reality
Constructivism
(Kantian Epistemology)
► Claim
that knowledge
is neither already in
the mind nor passively
received from the
experience but that
the mind constructs
knowledge out of the
materials of experience
Constructivism
(Kantian Epistemology)
Objectivism
► The
claim that there is
one set of universal
truths or facts about
the world and that
these truths are
independent of us
Epistemological Relativism
► There
is no universal,
objective knowledge of
reality because all
knowledge is either
relative to the
individual or his or her
culture
Epistemological Relativism
Subjectivism
-- The claim that
beliefs are
relative each
person’s
individual
perspective
Cultural Relativism
-- The claim that
beliefs are
relative to a
particular culture
Objectivism
► The
claim that there is
one set of universal
truths or facts about
the world and that
these truths are
independent of us
What is the Truth?
►
Correspondence theory
of truth
►
1. Reality has a
determinant objective
character
►
2. A statement is true or
false to the degree that it
corresponds to or
represents the objective
features of reality
►
Jack is six feet tall
What is the Truth?
► Perspectivism:
► Theory
that there
cannot be any
uninterpreted facts or
truths about because
everything that we
encounter is seen from
one perspective or
another
Perspectivism
Pragmatism
William James 1842-1910
John Dewey 1859-1952
Pragmatism
►Judges
truth of
our beliefs by
how
successfully
they guide our
actions
Pragmatism
►Intrumentalism:
Ideas and
beliefs are
instruments for
dealing with the
situations we
face in life
► Fallibilism:
All
knowledge is
tentative and
subject to revision
Pragmatism
Pragmatism
Pragmatism
► The
Pythagorean Theorem is true
► Democracy
is a better form of government
than Communism
► Killing
an innocent person is wrong
► College
is a worthwhile experience