This course will be a comprehensive introduction to epistemology. Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that investigates the nature of knowledge, justification, understanding, and other related concepts. Here are some of the questions that we will raise and try to answer:
❖ Can we know anything? If knowledge is possible, are there any limitations to what we can know?
❖ How do we know that the world, as it appears to us, reflects reality rather than some illusion (e.g. the Matrix)?
❖ Can we know that a world external to our own mind exists, or are we just limited to knowledge of our own mental states?
❖ What are the necessary and sufficient conditions for having knowledge?
❖ When are laypeople justified in accepting the testimony of experts? Which experts should we trust?
❖ Is moral knowledge possible? If so, how are moral beliefs justified?
❖ Can we know anything? If knowledge is possible, are there any limitations to what we can know?
❖ How do we know that the world, as it appears to us, reflects reality rather than some illusion (e.g. the Matrix)?
❖ Can we know that a world external to our own mind exists, or are we just limited to knowledge of our own mental states?
❖ What are the necessary and sufficient conditions for having knowledge?
❖ When are laypeople justified in accepting the testimony of experts? Which experts should we trust?
❖ Is moral knowledge possible? If so, how are moral beliefs justified?
- Teacher: David Sorensen