Epistemology
The study of knowledge, investigates whether how and to what extent we know things
Propostitional knowledge
knowledge of a prospostion, statment that is either true or false, an assertion that something is or is not fact. most philosophers agree that knowledge is true belief that is in some sense backed by good reasons
Propostional knowledge(3 necessary and sufficint conditions)
You must believe it. it must be true, and you must have a good reason for-be justified in-beliveing it is true
Skepticism
the view that we lack knowledge in some fundamental way. they believe that many or all of our beliefs are flase or unfounded
Cognitive relativism
the doctrine that the truth about something depends on what persons or cultures believe.
subjective relativism
view that right actions are those endorsed by an individual. Notion that truth depends on what a person believes.
Cultural relativism
view that right actions are those endorsed by one's culture.
A priori
knowledge gained independently of or prior to sense experience
A posteriori
knowledge that depends entirely on sense experience
Rationalist
view that through unaided reason we can come to know what the world is like. They maintain that some or all knowledge of the empirical world is a priori, discoverable through simply through the workings of our minds. Plato, Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz
Empiricists
view that knowledge of the empirical world comes souley from sense experience. Think we acquire knowledge entirely thourgh a posteriori. John Locke, George Berkeley, and David Hume. Hume most influencial.
Subjective idealsim
doctrine that all that exist are minds and their ideas. Supported by Berkeley.
Plato's Rationalism
Believed that sense experience alone could not be the source of knowledge. Plato thought that our perceptions were just as unreliable to a guide to genuine knowledge as the relativists and skeptics assumed. Only reliable sounrce has to be reason. Plato th
Innate knowledge
knowledge of these immaterial ideals is already present at birth, inscribed in our minds in a previous existance. Accesing this knowledge is a matter of using reason to recall what we previoulsy knew in another life. (plato agrees used example of Meno)
Descartes Doubt
Comes to the conclusion sense experience can yield no knowledge. Also thinks there is no clear distinction between a dream and reality. He said that an evil genius or god has set our to systematcially decieve me.
Descartes Cartainty
He come upon the truth that he cannot possibly doubt; he exists. " I think, therfore i am". He declares that " if he percieves something clearly and distrinctivly he must know it with certainty. He believes this because a perfect God is no deciever; such
The empiricist turn
Most reject skepticims. Build their theories of knowledge on the supposed firmer ground of sense experience.
Locke
Wrote an essay concerning human understading. Builds a case against rationalism and for a thoroughgoing empiricism. States that the idea of innate priciples is unfounded. Argues that there are no such unvirsal principles and if there were they could easil
Primary qualities
objectivfe properties such as size, solidity, and mobility.
Secondary qualities
subjective properties such as the color red or the smell of roses. They are in the mind, in that the depend on the operation of the senses.
Berkeley
Empiricist that rejects skepticism. Can obtain knowledge only through sense experience. Believes that no material objects, nothings exist in the external world. There are objects to be sure, but they exist only as sensations. They are real only because th
Hume
Argued for a thoroughly consistent epiricsm that led him to a deep skepticism. Two types of knowledge-relations of ideas and matters of fact. Says that reason is not a source of knowledge about the world. Holds that knowledge about the world can be acuqir
Perception
information derived from experience. Perception consists of sense data and inner pyschological states. Two types of perceptions- impressions and ideas. Impressions are what we directly and vidivdly experience, raw sense data and physchologcial states. Ide
Principle of induction
presumption that events tha followed one another in the past will do the same in the future that the future will be like the past.
Problem of induction(Hume)
difficulty of justifying the assumption tha the future will be like the past
The Kantian Compromise
Argues that that synthetic a priori knowledge is possible. Because knowledge is a priori, it is both necessarily true and unversally applicable. Kante's epistemology is neither entirely empiricist nor fully rationalist. Holds that all knowledge has its or
Analytic statement
logical truth whose denial results in a contradiction. Are neccessarily true.
Synthetic statement
Tells us something about the world, and denying it does not yield contradictions. Ex. every event has a cause, the planets orbit the sun.
Phenomena(kante)
we know the world only as conceptualized sense data
Noumena
a reality beyond our ken.
Feminist perspective on knowledge
Feminist philosophy is an attempt to address the disparagemnt or subordination of women in philosoph and realated fields, and meminist epistemology tries to do the same.
Alison Ainley( feminist philosophy)
Think that there is bias in the philosophical enterprise. Male philosphers dismissing, devaluating or ignoring female intellect. Male philosophers who have supported female philosphers are plato and John stuart mill.
Louise M Antony(embodiment and epistemology)
Basically states that various philosphers such as Locke,Aristotle,Rousseasu and Kante degrade female perspective of philosophy.
3 alternatives to knowledge by feminist
Feminist empiricism: doesnt want to abolish established theories, but instead wants a deeper more rigorous application of empiricism. Feminist standpoint theory: states that different social groups have distict knowledge acquired through unique experience