Questions tagged [epistemology]
Epistemology is the study of knowledge, acquisition thereof, and the justification of belief in a given claim.
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What is Kant's argument about the relationship between logic and reason?
At Wikipedia, I read:
Logic arose (see below) from a concern with correctness of argumentation. Modern logicians usually wish to ensure that logic studies just those arguments that arise from ...
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How can I solve my contradictory thoughts about the relevance of human knowledge?
I have been thinking about how much we can know and more importantly: which knowledge should be relevant to us? First I will explain my thoughts to you. They will end in a questionable conclusion for ...
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What role does "counting histories" play in Deutsch's critique of the "simulation argument"?
In his book The Beginning of Infinity, David Deutsch argues that there is a problematic assumption behind the simulation argument that "virtually all instances of us are in ... simulations and not in ...
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Which of Plato's Dialogues should I read to learn about Socrates' views on science and epistemology?
Which of Plato's Dialogues should I read to learn about Socrates' views relevant to the philosophy science and epistemology? I'm quite a beginner in these things and the titles of the Dialogues are ...
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What is the connection between these two theories in the Theaetetus?
In the Theaetetus, one of the theories of knowledge examined by Socrates and Theaetetus is that all knowledge comes from perception. At the same time, they are examining another theory: that ...
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Is the Cartesian methodological doubt deeply flawed?
In order to acquire irrefutable knowledge, Descartes first doubted everything, even the existence of an external world. Then, starting from the "cogito, ergo sum", he started proving the existence of ...
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Is there an accepted term for the idea that: “an idea's validity is increased with age”
Is there a field or term which can be used to describe conjecture on the notion that:
The validity of an idea is related to the length of time it has been debated.
Such a field would concern (or, ...
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Is there an accepted term for the idea that: "an idea's validity is increased by the number of proponents"
Is there a field or term which can be used to describe conjecture on the notion that:
The validity of an idea is related to the number of proponents/opponents of the idea.
Such a field would concern ...
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What caused the turns from monism to dualism in Russell and Chalmers?
Why did Chalmers shift from idealism to dualism? And Russell from materialism to neutral monism?
Edit: The particulars of Russell is recounted in A.C. Grayling's 'Russell: A Very Short Introduction' (...
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What consequences has Locke's theory of knowledge had on modern political thought?
According to John Locke's notion of tabula rasa, there are no innate ideas in the mind. All human knowledge comes from sensible experience. Assuming this principle, it follows that there is no innate ...
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Is it reasonable to arrive at a conclusion based on lack of evidence to the contrary?
I was having a discussion last night about my atheism, and it was suggested to me that agnostism is the only reasonable conclusion, as it leaves the door open for new information.
This made me think, ...
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Did Wittgenstein's maxim about doubt and knowing originate from Descartes?
Wittgenstein said, "If you cannot doubt a thing, you cannot know it."
For example he said that you cannot know your pain because you cannot doubt that you are in pain. I don't quite understand this ...
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Have there been any attempts to "redo" epistemology without the factivity of knowledge?
Mainstream analytic epistemology seems to take for granted that for S to know p, p must be true. I do not share this intuition. It seems that to be properly internalist about knowledge, one can't ...
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What does Epistemic Closure mean?
I keep coming across this term and would appreciate it if someone could define it for me and also provide a relevant example.
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Do all sciences use the same fundamental approach - the scientific method?
Even so I admit that the statement "All sciences use the same fundamental approach - the scientific method" may be true or false, it is not obvious to me whether it is actually true or false.
I ...