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# Methods of Philosophizing (1) Knowledge and Truth **1. What is Epistemology?** * "Epistemology is a science devoted to the discovery of the proper method of acquiring and validating knowledge" (Rand 1990) * The purpose of epistemology is two-fold: 1. To show how we can acquire knowledge....

# Methods of Philosophizing (1) Knowledge and Truth **1. What is Epistemology?** * "Epistemology is a science devoted to the discovery of the proper method of acquiring and validating knowledge" (Rand 1990) * The purpose of epistemology is two-fold: 1. To show how we can acquire knowledge. 2. To give us a method of demonstrating whether the knowledge we acquired is really knowledge (i.e., true). **2. The Nature of Knowledge** * Knowledge is the clear awareness and understanding of something. * It is provided by facts. * It is based on reality. * It is observable and evident on the real world. **3. How do we Acquire Knowledge?** * **Empiricism:** We can acquire knowledge using our senses. * Empiricists: 1. John Locke 2. George Berkley 3. David Hume * **Rationalism:** We can acquire knowledge by thinking with the use of our minds (rational faculty). * Rationalists: 1. Rene Descartes 2. Baruch Spinoza 3. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz **4. The Process of Acquiring Knowledge** * **1. Reality:** To know is to know something (reality, existence, being). Existence includes everything we perceive (animals, plants, humans, objects) and our inner world (thoughts and emotions). If nothing exists, knowledge is impossible. * **2. Perception:** (Description missing from the image) * **3. Proposition:** (Description missing from the image) * **4. Argument:** (Description missing from the image). **Note:** The image is a PowerPoint presentation. Some sections, such as "Perception," "Proposition," and "Argument", are incomplete in the captured image. Further details might be present in the complete presentation.