Epistemology Flashcards
A Priori Knowledge
knowledge justified independently of, or prior to, experience.
Epistemology
the area of philosophy that deals with questions concerning knowledge and that considers various theories of knowledge
A Posteriori Knowledge
knowledge based on, or posterior to, experience empirical based on experience.
Skepticism
The claim that we do not have knowledge
Rationalism
the claim that reason or intellect is the primary source of our fundamental knowledge
Empiricism
the claim that sense experience is the sole source of our knowledge about the world
Constructivism
the claim that knowledge is neither already in the mind nor passively received from experience but that the mind constructs knowledge out of the materials of experience
Epistemological Relativism
the claim that there is no universal, objective knowledge of reality because all knowledge is relative to either the individual or his or her culture
Universal Belief Falsifiers
strategies used by skeptics to attack knowledge claims by showing that there are possible states of affairs that would prevent us from ever distinguishing true beliefs from fake ones
Principle of Induction
the assumption that the future will be like the past
Uniformity of Nature
the thesis that the laws of nature that have been made true thus far will continue to be true tomorrow
Innate Ideas
ideas that are inborn; ideas or principles that the mind already contains prior to experience
Primary Qualities
the properties of an object that can be mathematically expressed and scientifically studied, that is, the properties of solidity, extension, shape, motion or rest, and number.
Secondary Qualities
The properties of an object that are subjectively perceived, that are the effects the object has on our sense organs, and whose appearances are different from the object that produces them (properties of color, sound, taste, smell, and texture.)
Idealism
The position that maintains that ultimate reality is mental or spiritual in nature.
Representative realism
The view that we do not directly experience external objects, but their primary qualities (such as shape and size) produce ideas in us that accurately represent these real properties of the objects.
Synthetic a posteriori knowledge
Knowledge that is based on experience and that adds new information to the subject.
Synthetic a priori knowledge
Knowledge that is acquired through reason, independently of experience, that is universal and necessary, and that provides information about the way the world is.
Phenomena
In Kant’s theory, the “things-as-they-appear-to-us” that exist in the world of our experience, which is partially constructed by the mind.
Noumena
in Kant’s theory, the “things-in-themselves” that exist outside of our experience.
Objectivism
The claim that there is one set of universal truths or facts about the world and that these truths are independent of us.
Subjectivism
The claim that beliefs are relative to each person’s individual perspective.
Cultural relativism
The claim that all beliefs are relative to a particular culture.
Historical relativism
The claim that each historical age had different conceptual frameworks such that there are no universal truths but only truths that are correct for a particular age.
