Epistemology Basics

The Nature of Knowledge

• Knowledge is a way of being latched to facts, and confidence does not equal knowledge.
• Epistemology is the study of knowledge and how we know anything, derived from the Greek words Episteme (meaning “Knowledge”) and Logos (meaning “rational study” or “theoretical inquiry”).

Empiricism vs. Rationalism

• Empiricism involves acquiring knowledge through observation and experience, and it poses that there is no innate knowledge, rather we are born as a blank slate.
• Rationalism, on the other hand, poses that we have innate knowledge.

The Scientific Method

• The scientific method is a process of systematically collecting and evaluating evidence to test ideas and answer questions, often involving the use of empiricism in a controlled environment.
• It takes quite a bit of time and resources, and cannot be used to answer all questions (only empirical questions).

Dogmatism and Doubt

• Dogmatism is the acceptance of ideas without questioning, laying down principles as incontrovertibly true without consideration of evidence or the opinion of others.
• Doubt is a basic strategy of Descartes's method, which involves doubting the truth of everything, including evidence, cultural presuppositions, and even the fundamental process of reasoning itself.

Ways of Knowing

• Intuition is a method of knowing that relies on emotions, gut, and instinct, rather than logic or evidence.
• Knowledge of Authority involves accepting new ideas because an authority figure states them to be true, but not all authorities are equally reliable.
• Rationalism is a method of knowing that involves using logic and reasoning to acquire new knowledge, following logical rules to reach a conclusion.

Skepticism

• Academic skeptics argue that knowledge is impossible, while Pyrrhonian skeptics argue that knowledge is essentially skeptical and we should doubt everything.

Test your understanding of epistemology, the study of knowledge and how we know things. Learn about the nature of knowledge and what constitutes valid information. Evaluate your knowledge of the foundations of knowledge and how to trust information.