Epistemology Fundamentals

Epistemology

• Also known as gnoseology, it is the study of the nature of knowledge and its justification
• Concerned with the origin, veracity, and validity of knowledge claims

Branch of Philosophy

• Epistemology is a branch of philosophy that examines the nature of knowledge
• It asks questions like: where does knowledge come from? How is it formulated, expressed, and communicated?

Sources of Knowledge (Enoh, 1995)

• Common-sense knowledge: tied to custom and tradition of a society
• Authoritative knowledge: acquired from a respected source
• Empirical knowledge
• Rational or use of reason
• Intuition knowledge
• Revealed knowledge

Cosmology

• Traditionally dates back to ancient Greeks and their speculation on the universe
• Deals with the origin and constitution of the universe
• Involves problems of the one and many, and being and becoming

Epistemology/Theory of Knowledge

• Comes from Greek words ελɩστημ (épistéme) meaning true and certain knowledge and λoyos (logos) meaning study or explanation
• Also called criteriology, the study of knowledge to distinguish true from false

Conditions of Knowledge (Ayer, 1995)

• What one said to know be true
• That one be sure of it (ability to justify)
• That one should have the right to be sure

Criteria for Knowledge (Bamisaiye, 1989)

• Existence: knowledge should have an existential referent
• Certainty: knowledge should be validly proved
• Validity: knowledge should not be self-contradictory
• Veracity: knowledge expresses truth
• Utility: knowledge is either useful in its direct benefit or in its potential to create further knowledge

Ethics

• Belongs to the branch of philosophy called axiology, the study of values
• Concerned with the criteria that underlie the choices we make or the factors that affect our desires, interests, needs, likes, performances (Enoh, 2001)