Two Greek words

 Episteme --- knowledge

 Logos --- reason

EPISTEMOLOGY
Science devoted to the discovery of the
proper method of acquiring and validating
knowledge
 Purpose of Epistemology

 To show how can we acquire knowledge

 To give us a method of demonstrating
whether we acquired is really knowledge ( i,e
. TRUE)
 knowledge
 Mental grasp of reality reached either
by perceptual observation or by a
process of reason based on perceptual
observation
(Rand 1990)
HOW DO WE ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE?

Empiricism Rationalism/rational faculty

 We can acquire  Thinking with
knowledge using the use of minds
our senses: seeing ,
tasting, feeling and
smelling
I have always thought the
actions of men.. The best
interpreters of their actions..

JOHN LOCKE
“Conquer yourself
rather than the world…”

Rene Descartes
PROCESS OF ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE
 1. Reality- includes everything we perceive, experience by the senses

 2. Perception -the state of being process of becoming aware of something through senses
 Example: brown table, beautiful girl
 3. Concept- an abstract or generic idea general from particular instances
 Two types of abstraction from abstractions
 A. wider generalizations (simply widenings)- forming wider concepts
 Example: Juan , Pedro and Tomas ( man)
 B. subdivisions ( narrowings) – identifying finer distinctions
 Example: man (doctor, fireman , teacher)
 The result of this progressive widening and narrowings is a hierarchy (levels) of concepts based
on perception
 4. Proposition- statement that expresses either an assertion or denial
 A. affirmative propositions – reply that means yes
 example: Men are mortals
 B. negative propositions – contrary
 example: Men are not mortals
 5. Inference – is a group of statements , one or more of which ( the premises) are
claimed to provide support for or reason to believe one of the others
 example: All men are mortals.
 Socrates is a man.
 Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
 NATURE OF TRUTH
Validating one’s knowledge
validating of knowledge- second part of
epistemology

1. The first step in validating one’s knowledge is to

ask oneself “How did I arrive at this belief, by what
steps?”
reduction process - using perception-concept- proposition- inference
example: I am alive. I have body. I can breathe
2. providing proof or evidence
3. consensus
4. actions
 TRUTH VS. OPINION
TRUTH
 Accepted statement
 Supported by factual evidence
 Knowledge validated
 example: Pyramids are in
Egypt.
 Two plus two is
four
OPINION
 Insufficient evidence
 Putative facts
 Socially undecided
 example: Abortion is
morally acceptable
 Jose Rizal is the greatest
man who ever lived
 TRUTH OPINIONS

 Based on the facts of  Based on emotions

reality
 Open to interpretation
 Can be confirmed with
other sources  Cannot be confirmed
 Independent of one’s  Inherently biased
interpretation, preferences
and biases
 THEORIES OF TRUTH
 1. The Correspondence Theory of Truth-
what we believe or say is true if it
corresponds to the way of things actually are
based on the facts
 Five senses are useful tools to verify the
truthfulness of propositions
 2. Coherence theory of Truth- Beliefs and
statements are true if they are consistent with
actual state of affairs
 Statements are true on the degree to which
“it hangs together” with all other beliefs in a
system of beliefs
 3. Pragmatic Theory of Truth– beliefs
that leads to the best “payoff” that are
the best justification of our actions
(usefulness)that promotes success are
truth