Chapter 14 Introduction to Epistemology Knowledge Opinion and

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Chapter 14 Introduction to Epistemology

Chapter 14 Introduction to Epistemology

Knowledge, Opinion, and Belief • When you know something you not only have an

Knowledge, Opinion, and Belief • When you know something you not only have an opinion, but that opinion is true: – That is, it coincides with reality • “What is the difference between knowledge and mere opinion? ” © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Knowledge, Opinion, and Belief • It seems intuitively clear that where we believe something

Knowledge, Opinion, and Belief • It seems intuitively clear that where we believe something which we do not know: – That belief could be false, whereas when we truly know something it could not be false • Can a person believe something which is false? Sure – Can a person know something that is false? © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Knowledge and Certainty • Knowledge implies being sure, being certain • Part of our

Knowledge and Certainty • Knowledge implies being sure, being certain • Part of our greater confidence in the truth of what we claim to know arises from: – The fact that we have better reasons for believing our information to be true © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Knowledge and Certainty • Sometimes we deny that a person knows something, though it

Knowledge and Certainty • Sometimes we deny that a person knows something, though it turns out to be true: – Simply because the person’s reasons for believing it were not good enough • The human dilemma regarding knowledge is that we cannot easily distinguish: – What is true from what we merely think is true © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Epistemology and Psychology • Both epistemology and psychology are concerned with human consciousness: –

Epistemology and Psychology • Both epistemology and psychology are concerned with human consciousness: – And it might at first appear that epistemology is only trying to do what psychology: • Is in a position to do better © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Epistemology and Psychology • Psychology is an attempt to describe the way the human

Epistemology and Psychology • Psychology is an attempt to describe the way the human mind actually operates; – Epistemology seeks to establish normative criteria for how we ought to think • Epistemology is concerned with discovering a sure guide to truth – But what is truth? © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Epistemology and Psychology • A defender of a correspondence theory of truth will want

Epistemology and Psychology • A defender of a correspondence theory of truth will want you to believe that: – All matters of truth must be so decided • Epistemology is also important in philosophy because it serves as: – A bridge to other philosophical issues © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sources of Knowledge • The core belief of rationalism is that a priori knowledge

Sources of Knowledge • The core belief of rationalism is that a priori knowledge of reality is possible: – And provides our deepest insight into the nature of what exists: • Where a priori knowledge is knowledge that is not grounded in or derived from sense experience © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sources of Knowledge • Plato believed that there are truths we know that are

Sources of Knowledge • Plato believed that there are truths we know that are certain and unchanging • Much of Aristotle’s work was devoted to acquiring knowledge of the natural world: – By critically reflecting on the information provided by sense experience © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.