Chapter #2 (Theory of Knowledge) Flashcards
What is epistemology?
The study of knowledge
What are the different types of knowledge?
Rationality, objectivity, universality
What is Rationality?
The ability to present reasons and evidence in arguments.
What is Objectivity?
In which a person is not influenced by personal feelings and looks at the big picture
What is Universality?
Applying everywhere and always
Method of Doubt
Accept nothing as true that
you don’t clearly recognize to
be so
Method of Inquiry
A concept created by Rene Descartes: To adopt
a point of view of someone who does not know
anything, but is trying to use his/her intelligence to
discover the truth or learn –
posture of ignorance similar to socrates
What is the cogito Argument/ergo sum?
“I think therefore I am”
what is epistemological skepticism?
Descartes insisted upon absolute proof
or certainty before accepting anything as
true.
State of solipsism
the belief that I am the the only person in the universe
Who is Rene Descartes?
Created concepts such as method of inquiry & method of doubt, epistemological skepticism, and solipsism
Who is Gottfried Leibniz?
He was most famous for his invention of infinite calculus and offered logical criteria for truth & certainty. We must ultimately rely on both to acquire knowledge.
What is Gottfried Leibniz’s idea on rationalism?
He was a Rationalist who believed all knowledge can be accessed by rational reflection, but shortcomings in our rational abilities mean we must learn most things through experience. He also offered logical criteria for truth & certainty.
What is the law of contradiction?
Logic dictates that both the assertion and the negation
cannot both be true
What is the law of the excluded middle?
there can be no third option
Who is David Hume?
He believed all of our ideas are either copies of sense impressions or combinations and rearrangements of copies of sense impressions. He created an atomic theory of the contents of the mind in which the mind contains little “indivisible atomic bits” of sensation plus indivisible copies of those bits of sensation.
Where do perceptions come from?
Ideas and Impressions
What is a simple perception?
That there is no real distinction between impressions and ideas
What is a complex perception?
That there is a clear distinction between one’s impressions and ideas or there are distinct parts
What is an impression?
Our senses, passions, and emotions
What is an idea?
Thinking or reasoning
What is the Tabula Rasa?
It was first thought of by John Locke stating that the mind is a blank tablet or Tabula Rasa when we are born which was developed further by David Hume later on.
Who is John Locke?
John Locke believed that all human knowledge must come either directly or indirectly from the experience of the world that we acquire from our senses alone
What is the unity of consciousness?
First developed by Immanuel Kant: All thoughts and perceptions of any given mind are bound together in a unity and are contained in one consciousness
The unity of individual consciousness is dependent upon the mind’s ability to hold together those thoughts and perceptions.
What is Rationalism?
A way in which we can access truth and certainty through logical deduction – the truth is within us
What is Empiricism?
A way in which all the ideas of the human mind must ultimately come to us through sensory experience
Truths can be divided into 2 types
Truths of Reasoning & Truths of Fact (Gottfried Leibniz)
What are the Truths of Reasoning?
consisted of necessary truths in which they cannot be contradicted - their opposite is impossible
What are the truths of fact?
These are contingent truths – their opposite is possible –
denying it does not involve a contradiction in terms. These truths cannot be established by applying logical laws
