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6. Epistemology

Introduction 1 3 5 6

  • Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature, origin, and scope of knowledge.
  • Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is a good example of Epistemology.
  • Plato’s theory of forms: Real things are representations of their ideal forms, which are more real than the things themselves.
  • Types of knowledge:
    • Intuitive knowledge: Self-evident Knowledge; it comes from your beliefs, faith, etc. It is more emotional than logical and should be understood to be based on feelings rather than facts. You intuitively know when a friend is mad at you without them having to actually tell you.
    • Authoritative knowledge: Knowledge that comes from an authority figure. For example, a teacher or a parent. It is strong or weak depending on the authority of the source. You heard a rumor from a 12-year-old about a kid he thinks he heard something about (weak). You read a peer-reviewed research article in an academic journal (strong).
    • Logical knowledge: it is brain math. If I know “A” (which is generally accepted) then I can assume “B” (even if it is not so well known). The fire over there is hot; that pot has been in the fire for 2 hours; it is logical that the pot is hot too (although the only proof, from just looking at it from a distance, is the logic about fire being hot).
    • Empirical knowledge: Knowledge that comes from experience; it is more scientific in nature. It is demonstrable, objective facts (generally determined through observation and/or experimentation). The Theory of Gravity is Empirical. Someone thought about it and tested it through experimentation.

References

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  1. Epistemology. (2024). Importanceofphilosophy.com. http://www.importanceofphilosophy.com/Epistemology_Main.html ↩

  2. Morris, G. (1877). Spinoza – A Summary Account of His Life and Teaching. The Journal of Speculative Philosophy, 11(3), p. 278-299. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/25666041.pdf ↩

  3. Riktw. (2008). the answer to life, universe and everything [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aboZctrHfK8 ↩

  4. Pardi, P. (2015, March 22). What is Truth? - Philosophy News. Philosophy News. https://philosophynews.com/what-is-truth/ ↩

  5. TED-Ed. (2015). Plato’s Allegory of the Cave - Alex Gendler [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RWOpQXTltA ↩

  6. Learning Guide Unit 6: Introduction | Home. (2024). Uopeople.edu. https://my.uopeople.edu/mod/book/view.php?id=407049&chapterid=490025 ↩