The Way We Know - Epistemologically

Epistemology is a branch of philosophy. It is the study of knowledge in its most fundamental sense.

Knowledge is connected with a person that knows something. The knowledge or thing that is known must be ‘true’ to be knowledge. The person must believe that the knowledge is true and the person or holder of the knowledge must have some justification for that belief. Otherwise, we are not talking about knowledge.

This position is often challenged by philosophers, in particular, those that are sceptical about the existence of any knowledge. However, it is a useful understanding to have grasped when considering the philosophical aspects of knowledge.

Since knowledge is such a strong concept, involving truth and justification for belief, it is often argued that there isn’t really any knowledge at all. That is, that there is nothing that can be known for certain. Whilst this position may sound strange, it is both interesting and rewarding to understand why such arguments can be made. It is then interesting to study and understand the counter arguments.

Philosophers discuss what it means to know. The discussion may seem abstract and irrelevant at times but it is not too difficult to see that it has some real and very practical implications.