"Epistemology is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge."
The process by which knowledge claims are supported by evidence and argumentation.
Belief: Belief refers to accepting something as true without necessarily having justification for it. In epistemology, beliefs are considered fundamental to knowledge and justification.
Truth: Truth refers to a proposition that accurately corresponds to reality. It is one of the necessary conditions for knowledge.
Evidence: Evidence refers to information or data that supports or refutes a belief. In epistemology, evidence is crucial for justifying beliefs.
Justification: Justification refers to providing reasons or evidence for holding a belief. It is central to understanding epistemic justification.
Rationality: Rationality refers to thinking and reasoning in a way that is reasonable, logical, and coherent. It is an important concept in epistemology, especially when it comes to the justification of beliefs.
Skepticism: Skepticism is the general approach of doubting or questioning claims, especially those that are not supported by adequate evidence. It is an important tool for epistemic inquiry.
Empiricism: Empiricism is the philosophical approach that emphasizes the importance of experience and observation in forming beliefs. It is often contrasted with rationalism.
Rationalism: Rationalism is the philosophical approach that emphasizes the importance of reasoning and intuition in forming beliefs. It is often contrasted with empiricism.
A Priori Knowledge: A priori knowledge refers to knowledge that can be known independently of experience or empirical evidence. It is often contrasted with a posteriori knowledge.
A Posteriori Knowledge: A posteriori knowledge refers to knowledge that can only be known through experience or empirical evidence. It is often contrasted with a priori knowledge.
Reliabilism: Reliabilism is a theory of epistemic justification that argues that beliefs are justified if they are produced by reliable cognitive processes.
Coherentism: Coherentism is a theory of epistemic justification that argues that beliefs are justified if they are coherent with other beliefs in a person's belief system.
Foundationalism: Foundationalism is a theory of epistemic justification that argues that some beliefs are self-justifying and serve as the foundations for other beliefs.
Gettier Problems: Gettier problems refer to examples that challenge the traditional definition of knowledge as justified true belief by showing that it is possible to have justified true beliefs that are not knowledge.
Epistemic Virtues: Epistemic virtues refer to the traits or qualities that an individual possesses that enable them to have a more reliable and accurate understanding of the world. These can include qualities such as curiosity, intellectual humility, and open-mindedness.
Coherence and Correspondence Theories of Truth: Coherence and correspondence theories of truth are two philosophical approaches to understanding the nature of truth. Coherence theories define truth as a property of a set of beliefs that are mutually consistent and coherent, while correspondence theories define truth as a property of propositions that accurately correspond to reality.
Epistemic Norms: Epistemic norms refer to the standards or rules that govern the process of acquiring and maintaining knowledge. These can include norms such as evidentialism, which states that beliefs must be supported by evidence to be justified.
Induction and Deduction: Induction and deduction are two types of reasoning that are important for understanding epistemic justification. Induction involves reasoning from specific instances to general principles, while deduction involves reasoning from general principles to specific instances.
Perception: Perception refers to the process by which individuals gather information about the world through their senses. Perception is an important aspect of epistemology since it is one way in which individuals can gain knowledge.
Conceptual Analysis: Conceptual analysis is a process of breaking down complex concepts into simpler parts in order to better understand their meaning. It is an important tool used in epistemology to clarify key concepts such as knowledge, justification, and belief.
Empiricism: This theory asserts that our knowledge is based primarily on experience and observation.
Rationalism: This theory holds that certain truths can be known a priori, that is, without the need for empirical evidence.
Foundationalism: This theory posits that knowledge is built upon basic beliefs or foundational propositions, which are self-evident, incorrigible, or indubitable.
Coherentism: This theory maintains that knowledge is a coherent system of beliefs that fit together logically and mutually support each other.
Infinitism: This theory argues that knowledge requires an infinite regress of justification, as every belief needs to be justified by another belief.
Reliabilism: This theory emphasizes the reliability of the belief-forming process, rather than the content of the belief itself.
Pragmatism: This theory emphasizes the practical consequences of a belief, rather than its truth value.
Skepticism: This theory doubts or denies the possibility of knowledge altogether, either because of the limitations of human cognition or because of the inherent ambiguity and uncertainty of reality.
"Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics."
"Epistemologists study the nature, origin, and scope of knowledge, epistemic justification, the rationality of belief, and various related issues."
"Debates in epistemology are generally clustered around four core areas:"
"The philosophical analysis of the nature of knowledge and the conditions required for a belief to constitute knowledge, such as truth and justification."
"Potential sources of knowledge and justified belief, such as perception, reason, memory, and testimony."
"The structure of a body of knowledge or justified belief, including whether all justified beliefs must be derived from justified foundational beliefs or whether justification requires only a coherent set of beliefs."
"Philosophical skepticism, which questions the possibility of knowledge, and related problems, such as whether skepticism poses a threat to our ordinary knowledge claims and whether it is possible to refute skeptical arguments."
"Epistemology aims to answer questions such as 'What do people know?', 'What does it mean to say that people know something?', 'What makes justified beliefs justified?', and 'How do people know that they know?'"
"Specialties in epistemology ask questions such as 'How can people create formal models about issues related to knowledge?' (in formal epistemology), 'What are the historical conditions of changes in different kinds of knowledge?' (in historical epistemology), 'What are the methods, aims, and subject matter of epistemological inquiry?' (in metaepistemology), and 'How do people know together?' (in social epistemology)." Please note that the provided quotes are not direct quotes but paraphrased excerpts from the paragraph.