Knowledge Epistemology

Question 1

The 3 types of knowledge

Answer 1

Acquaintance, Ability and Propositional

Question 2

Acquaintance knowledge

Answer 2

“Knowing-of”, recognition, familiarity e.g. I know California

Question 3

Ability knowledge

Answer 3

“Knowing-how”, how to perform a skill e.g. I know how to speak

Question 4

Propositional knowledge

Answer 4

“Knowing-that”, knowledge of the truth or falsehood of propositions e.g. I know my name

Question 5

Necessary condition

Answer 5

Something which has to be true for something else to follow, but may not be enough on its own e.g. being a man is a necessary condition of being a bachelor

Question 6

Sufficient condition

Answer 6

Once achieved, it is enough for something else to follow e.g. being an unmarried man is a sufficient condition of being a bachelor

Question 7

Jointly sufficiency and individual necessity

Answer 7

A collection of things can individually be necessary but not enough for something to follow, and together can be sufficient for that thing to follow

Question 8

Tautology

Answer 8

Where you can swap a word with its definition in the same sentence and maintain the exact same meaning

Question 9

Real essence

Answer 9

Something that has a real essence has a real definition, e.g. water, which will always be water molecularly

Question 10

Nominal essence

Answer 10

Something with nominal essence has a subjective definition, e.g. weeds, since what is called a weed is dependent on situational and cultural opinions

Question 11

Zagzebski on knowledge

Answer 11

It has a nominal essence, and probably doesn’t have a real definition. We cannot be sure though, so we should continue to look for one until we are forced to stop.

Question 12

Zagzebski thinks a good definition should avoid being…

Answer 12

Circular, Obscure, Negative, Ad Hoc

Question 13

Circular definition

Answer 13

A definition that contains the term being defined

Question 14

Obscure definition

Answer 14

A definition that is more complicated or confusing than the term being defined

Question 15

Negative definition

Answer 15

Defining a term by what it isn’t

Question 16

Ad Hoc definition

Answer 16

A definition tailored to counter specific problems rather than a general one

Question 17

Plato’s Tripartite Definition of Knowledge

Answer 17

That the conditions of Justified True Belief are individually necessary and jointly sufficient for knowledge

Question 18

K = JTB

Answer 18

Knowledge = Justified True Belief

Question 19

How to show a definition is bad

Answer 19

Give one counterexample e.g. point to something that is a bachelor but isn’t an unmarried man or something that is an unmarried man but isn’t a bachelor

Question 20

How to disprove Plato’s Definition of Knowledge

Answer 20

Either find that one or more of the conditions are not necessary for knowledge or find that the conditions together are not sufficient for knowledge

Question 21

Correspondence theory of truth

Answer 21

A belief is only true if what it claims to be the case is actually the case

Question 22

Coherence theory of truth

Answer 22

Truth stems from the web of beliefs held by a society to be true.

Question 23

What did Plato think about knowledge and belief

Answer 23

Knowledge is infallible and belief is fallible, so they must be two separate things. Knowledge entails going beyond mere belief.