Epistemology (MOC)
Notes
Epistemology asks how do we know what we know. What is knowledge, and how is it different from a belief? can we ever be sure of something? What is Truth ? As you can see, epistemology is highly affected by Uncertainty .
Types of Knowledge
- knowledge of others - aka Theory of Mind , we often fail to know what is going on on other's minds. We don't even know where consciousness lies (the hard problem of consciousness )
- experience knowledge - Some knowledge seems to be acquired only though an experience, even when the "technical" knowledge is out there from the beginning. See Mary's room as an example.
- Social Construct - some things are "real" only because we collectively believe them to be true, like money.
- Subjective Reality - some things are "true" to us, our perception has the power to influence our own reality.
- self knowledge - (aka Self-awareness ), to be aware of our mental and emotional states and the reasons for them. Sometimes it fails. Knowing ourselves can also explain why we Desire certain things
Types of Inquiry
There are several ways in which we asks ourselves how do we know something, or how we detect the "truth":
- Rationalism - Truth and reason are intertwined, by practicing logic relentlessly, we could discover truths about the world
- Empiricism - Reality is the best source of truth we have. Our minds are biased and limited, while through experimentation we could discover the truths of the world.
- Pragmatism - what is "true" is what is "useful" to us, i.e "what works".
- contextualism - Truth depends on the situation and who is speaking. A statement can't be judged on it's own but only in a given context.
Philosophers
Socrates (philosopher) Rene Descartes (philosopher) David Hume (philosopher) Bruno Latour (philosopher)