What is epistemology in philosophy?

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of human knowledge. It investigates key concepts such as belief, truth, and justification, while exploring different types of knowledge like propositional knowledge, practical skills, and acquaintance. Various schools of thought debate the sources of justification and whether absolute certainty is attainable.

What we know

• Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. [5]
• Epistemologists study the concepts of belief, truth, and justification to understand what constitutes knowledge. [5]
• Different types of knowledge explored include propositional knowledge, practical knowledge, and knowledge by acquaintance. [3, 5]
• Empiricists hold that all knowledge comes from sense experience, whereas rationalists believe some knowledge does not depend on it. [5]

Still open

• There are ongoing debates about whether justification is determined solely by internal mental states or also by external circumstances.

Where to go next

• compared withWhat is the difference between empiricism and rationalism?
• how it workedHow do foundationalism and coherentism explain belief justification?
• how we knowWhat are Gettier problems in the theory of knowledge?
• the bigger pictureHow does epistemology fit into the broader field of philosophy?
• whenHow has the study of knowledge evolved from ancient times to the modern era?
• an unexpected connectionHow does epistemology intersect with psychology?While psychology infers the beliefs people actually hold from actions and words, epistemology evaluates the norms governing whether those beliefs are justified.

Sources

• [1]Definitions of philosophy (Wikidata Q111165739) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Definitions of philosophy · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Definitions of knowledge · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Epistemology · CC BY-SA 4.0