Epistemology

It comes from ancient Greek epistēmē which means “knowledge”, and the suffix -logi which derives from logos means “explain” or “explains about”.

What’s Epistemology? #

Epistemology is a branch of philosophy that studies the origin, nature, truth, and limitations of knowledge.

Epistemology tries to answer the question:

• How and where do we get knowledge?

• How can we be sure of that knowledge?

• Which can be considered valid in knowledge?

• How far is the limit of knowledge?

• Is that knowledge true?

And many others are related to the cause and origin of knowledge itself.

The product will be tested for quality by a quality control, then a knowledge will be validated by an epistemologist.

Aspects of Epistemology #

A priori and a posteriori #

The terms a priori and a posteriori refer to how knowledge is acquired.

A priori #

Knowledge acquired without direct observation or without empirical evidence. This knowledge is deductive, logical and rational, for example, mathematical science, some philosophical principles.

The first example is 1+1 = 2 and 2 + 2 = 4, we don’t need empirical proof of this calculation to prove the result, just understand the concept of numbers, then we can prove that 1 + 1 = 2, and so on.

The second example is the statement “all wives are married”, no need to ask one by one a man’s wife whether she is married or not to prove this statement, to understand the concept of marriage and the wife can already prove the statement.

A posteriori #

Knowledge acquired through direct observation or using the senses (can be seen, touched, felt ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)). This knowledge is inductive, realistic and empirical. Sciences like science, biology, physics and the like fall into this category.

Examples are knowledge of uranium as nuclear fuel, temperature changes at different altitudes, nuclear fusion and fission and much more.

Belief #

Since everything in a person’s mind is always subjective, it can be concluded that the knowledge brought is also not apart from the beliefs adopted by the person. It tries to find out how beliefs are influenced by experience, beliefs, and critical thinking.

Justification/Reason #

The knowledge must also be preserved through reasoning or justification, what makes the knowledge “useful” or trying to answer the question “why do you think so?”

Truth/Truth #

All sources and justifications of such knowledge will be validated as true. It tries to answer “is the source used credible?” and “is this knowledge true?”

Limitation #

It reflects how perfect nothing is and how limited humanity, knowledge is going through a “critical” process, tested to the extent to which it is capable of solving existing problems.

Conclusion #

Epistemology is a very complex field to understand, but at least the basic concept above can help us to think more critically about something, epistemology also tries to “neutralise” a knowledge we acquire.

Having an understanding of epistemology can help in everyday decision-making, evaluating information obtained from various sources, and helping individuals to remain open to revising their knowledge based on new evidence.