Epistemology

Dictionary Definition:

• The philosophical examination of

knowledge – its nature and its origin.

• Episteme= knowledge, understanding

• Logos=study of, word

Epistemology

Common Vernacular Definition:

What you know that you don’t know you know. You just jnow—you know?

Epistemology

Mark Twain’s Definition:

What gets us into trouble isn’t what we don’t know.

It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.

Epistemology: Theory of Knowledge

• What is “knowledge”? What is it to know something?

• What does it mean to say that a belief is “justified”?

• What can we know?

Knowledge and Belief• We have a vast collection of beliefs, and some are true and some

are false:– Some people believe that astrology can inform us about our futures. – Some people believe that aliens from outer space are in contact with

human beings. – Some people believe that human beings are the product of natural

selection and survival of the fittest. – Some people believe that there is a God who created everything and who

cares about us. – Some people believe that human beings will make settlements on Mars

before the end of the next millennium. – Some people believe that human beings are more likely, in the next

millennium, to deplete the earth of its resources and destroy the ecosystems on which we depend for our lives.

• Sifting and sorting: Those beliefs about which we're less certain are less likely to count as knowledge than those we're more certain of. Are there any beliefs of which we are absolutely certain?

According to a January 2012issue of The Week magazine, 46% of Americans believe divine intervention is responsible for Tim Tebow’s success on the football field.

Knowledge and Belief

• Among the things I believe, which are the things I know?

• Hypothesis: The things I know are the beliefs that are true.

• Problem: What if I have true beliefs by accident or for incorrect reasons?

Why do I need to know this?

• Better reader– Due to a highly tuned bias sensor

• Better writer– Due to the same highly tuned bias sensor

mentioned above

• Better citizen

• Better level of self-awareness

Why do I need to know this?

Better Citizen of the WorldOf course our foolish judgments may be wrong and in many cases they are wrong. •“People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they have not communicated with each other” (MLK Jr.).

“If we have always been taught that a specific group of people are lazy, inferior and dishonest, and these alleged truths have been reinforced by both individuals, educational institutions and the communities in which we reside; our knowledge is locked in and we think we now know what we need to know about that group or any other group, race, gender, etc.” (The Koi Group). “

“Real-World” Examples

• Water Boy

• Mayella Ewell in TKM

• Write down something you mistakenly believed was a “truth.” Who or what opened your eyes?

Where Do I Begin?Ask Yourself:

• Does my knowledge represent reality as it really is?

• List one thing you know to be true. How do you know?

A Parting Thought. . .

• "Without a global revolution in the sphere of human consciousness, a more humane society will not emerge."  – Vaclav Havel, former President of Czechoslovakia