PHIL 175: Theory of Knowledge
PHIL 175: Theory of Knowledge
The Generic Catalog Description
This course is an inquiry into the foundations of knowledge and the nature of truth. It examines traditional and contemporary approaches to truth, and theories about the relationship between knowledge and reality. Some of the topics are the status of knowledge and facts, doubt, evidence, the problems of the verification and justification of knowledge, and particular problems regarding the truth of certain types of statements, such as moral statements and statements about the future.
PHIL 175: Theory of Knowledge
Benjamin Bayer
Theory of knowledge, or epistemology, is one of the most central fields of philosophy. It addresses the nature and extent of our knowledge, a question which shapes other branches of philosophy and whole fields of science. Is our knowledge derived primarily from the senses, or from rational intuition? Do we have any knowledge of the external world, or are we always to be haunted by skeptical doubt? Is our knowledge objective, or is it colored by pragmatic, social factors? This course will survey some of the most important historical figures who address these questions, ranging from ancient philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, to contemporary figures like W.V. Quine and the late Richard Rorty. In examining each figure, we will explore three basic topics for each major figure: the philosopher's theory of the nature of knowledge; the implications of this theory for important areas of knowledge (scientific, ethical, or religious); and the influence of the theory on other philosophers.
PHIL 175: Theory of Knowledge
James G. Murphy Sj
Questions about the nature of knowledge – whether we can ever have any, and what it takes to count as having knowledge – have played a central role in philosophy’s history and the history of the sciences. In some periods of history, epistemology (or theory of knowledge) has been viewed as the foundation of all philosophy. This course is an introduction to and creative engagement with epistemological issues. It deals with: (1) Different kinds of knowledge, including propositional knowledge (‘knowing that’), skill (‘knowing how’), moral knowledge, interpersonal knowledge (‘knowing you’), and religious knowledge. (2) The sources of knowledge: perception, inference, experience, testimony, and reason. (3) What it means to be a knower: experience, understanding, and judgment as elements of human cognitive experience, and the epistemic virtues that widen and deepen that experience. (4) Intentionality and self-transcendence. (5) The value of knowledge. (6) What the sciences show about knowledge.