![]() ![]() Philosophers also offer counterexamples to assess theories and positions. In answering epistemological questions, theorists utilize arguments. What if there’s a powerful evil demon who feeds you all your conscious experiences, making you believe you are currently reading a philosophy text when in fact you are not? How could you rule this out? And if you can’t rule it out, what does this say about the concept of knowledge? For example, in questioning the possibility of knowledge, philosophers imagine ways the world could be such that our beliefs are false and then try to determine whether we can rule out the possibility that the world really is this way. Philosophers also try to identify problems with those answers, formulate possible solutions to those problems, and look for counterarguments. But because of the nature of philosophical investigation, simply offering answers is never enough. What if everything we think we know is false? Can we be sure of the truth of our beliefs? What does it even mean for a belief to be true? Philosophers ask questions about the nature and possibility of knowledge and related concepts and then craft possible answers. Like other areas within philosophy, epistemology begins with the philosophical method of doubting and asking questions. Because knowledge is a complex concept, epistemology also includes the study of the possibility of justification, the sources and nature of justification, the sources of beliefs, and the nature of truth. ![]() Epistemology focuses on what knowledge is as well as what types of knowledge there are. The word epistemology is derived from the Greek words episteme, meaning “knowledge,” and logos, meaning “explanation” and translated in suffix form ( -logia) as “the study of.” Hence, epistemology is the study of knowledge. (credit: modification of “at Rodin museum” by Evgenii/Flickr, CC BY 2.0) Choosing Philosophy: Careers and Opportunitiesįigure 7.1 The Thinker, sculpted by French artist Auguste Rodin at the very beginning of the 20th century, has become a symbol of the intellect-centered pursuit of truth characteristic of the Western philosophical tradition.Dominican University Philosophy Department Toggle Dropdown.Writing Philosophy Papers Toggle Dropdown.Critiques of Branches and Frameworks of Western Philosophy.Databases, Internet Resources, and Journals.
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