“The Problem of Knowledge”

Chapter 1 – Theory of Knowledge

Chapter OverviewChapter Overview The world is a

confusing place.

People carry many different opinions.

The world we live in a much bigger then the “world” each of us live in on a daily basis.

3 Possible Solutions to 3 Possible Solutions to the Problem of the Problem of

Knowledge…Knowledge… Common Sense

Certainty

Relativism

Common SenseCommon Sense Our “common sense” probably

contains inaccuracies and biases that we are not aware of.

Common sense” consists of beliefs that can be based on prejudice, hearsay and blind appeals.

Hearsay: unverified, unofficial information gained or acquired from another and not part of one’s direct knowledge. (Examples: gossip or rumors)

Mental MapMental Map Mental Map: our ideas of what is

true and what is false, what is reasonable and what is unreasonable, what is right and what is wrong, etc… Our mental maps may give

us a distorted picture of reality

Our ideas and beliefs come from many sources… our own experience, parents, friends, teachers, books and the media… It is possible that there are inaccuracies in some of this knowledge, since we don’t always have the chance to check up on some information.

Paradox of Paradox of CartographyCartography

Paradox of cartography: there is no such thing as a “perfect map”. A perfect map would be useless, because it would be life-sized.

CertaintyCertainty It has often been thought that

certainty is what distinguishes knowledge from mere belief.

Certainty: The idea here is that when you know something you are certain that it is true and have no doubts about it; but when you merely believe it, you may think it is true, but you are not certain.

Ways of KnowingWays of Knowing Language

Perception

Reason

Emotion

* We acquire knowledge about the world through language, perception, reason and emotion, but none of these ways of knowing can give us certainty.

Radical DoubtRadical Doubt

Do we truly Exist???

RelativismRelativism there is no such thing as absolute truth that

exists in an objective way independent of what anyone happens to believe is true.

truth is relative (truth may be different for different individuals or for different cultures)

* According to relativism, truth is relative to the individual; but the fact that we take seriously the idea that someone may be wrong in their beliefs suggests that relativism is false.

Belief vs. TruthBelief vs. Truth The fact that you “believe”

something is true, does not mean that it is actually true. (Santa Claus Example)

JudgementJudgement since we live in a world with few

black and white certainties, we must rely more on judgement than proof in deciding what to believe.

It is important to find a balance between being skeptical and open-minded.

Reasonable Reasonable KnowledgeKnowledge

2 preliminary criteria to use to determine whether or not a knowledge claim is reasonable

Evidence for a belief to be reasonable there should

be some positive evidence in support of it Coherence

deciding whether or not a belief coheres, or fits in, with our current understanding of things

we must examine our doubts of a belief one at a time

always demand good evidence before believing something

argument ad argument ad ignorantiamignorantiam

a fallacy that explains, the fact that you can’t prove that something isn’t true does nothing to show that it is true.

Confirmation BiasConfirmation Bias to notice only evidence that supports

our beliefs

we should look for evidence in favor of our beliefs as well as evidence that counts against our beliefs (EX: horoscope)

Who Cares???Who Cares??? Do people have the

right to believe what they want to believe?

Are some beliefs more worthy of respect than others?

Why do our beliefs Why do our beliefs matter?matter?

ConclusionConclusion 3 possible solutions to the problem of

knowledge common sense certainty relativism

none of these are entirely adequate

Since the problem of knowledge has no easy solution we must use our judgement in trying to decide what to believe.