1 / 5

Epistemology: the study of the nature, source, limits, & justification of knowledge

Epistemology: the study of the nature, source, limits, & justification of knowledge. Rationalism : we truly know only that of which we are certain. Since sense experience cannot guarantee certainty, reason alone must be the means for getting knowledge

sasha
Download Presentation

Epistemology: the study of the nature, source, limits, & justification of knowledge

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Epistemology: the study of the nature, source, limits, & justification of knowledge • Rationalism: we truly know only that of which we are certain. Since sense experience cannot guarantee certainty, reason alone must be the means for getting knowledge • Real knowledge about ourselves and the world is a priori (prior to and independent of experience). “Knowledge” gained from sense experience (a posteriori) is guaranteed only by appeal to reason

  2. Rationalism: Sense Experience Does Not Provide Knowledge Shankara: we correct our experiences of self and world (e.g., hallucinations, sense perceptions) by knowing the oneness of ultimate reality (Brahman) • Descartes: sense experiences are often wrong; I might be wrong about whether I have a body or if there is a world apart from my imagination (it may be a dream), and even whether my reasoning abilities (e.g., 2+3=5) can be trusted (evil genie) (788-822)

  3. Objectionsto Descartes’ Method of Doubt • Even if some sense experiences are mistaken, that is no reason to doubt (even hypothetically) all of them • Limiting knowledge only to what we know with certainty is too restrictive: we often know things a posteriori (i.e., based on experience), not on indubitable foundations • If we doubt everything, we must also doubt whether we are truly doubting—which requires us to assume the existence of a public world of language users

  4. Descartes’ Escape from Doubt • I cannot doubt that I am doubting (thinking). All other knowledge is based on the undoubtable foundation that I exist: I think, therefore I exist (cogito ergo sum) • I know I exist imperfectly only by first knowing perfect existence (God); and as a perfect being, God would not deceive me or allow me to be deceived when I know something (e.g., wax) clearly and distinctly—that is, as an intelligible (e.g., mathematical) object

  5. Innate Ideas: knowledge of ideas or principles is possible only if they are inborn • Plato: our knowledge of certain propositions is based on remembering truths acquired before our birth • Leibniz: our recognition of ideas and truths is based on innate dispositions of the mind • Jainism: past unethical behavior blinds us to our innate knowledge of all things

More Related