Whenever we hear some
interesting information we quickly forward it to our acquittance without
verification, we assume we know it is true. However, this sort of behaviour is
reckless as it fuels misinformation. We human beings should be epistemically
responsible for the believes we pass to other human beings because they may
have an intense impact on our society.
Knowledge according to the tripartite theory of knowledge, knowledge is merely Justified True Belief (JTB). Meaning when something is true, justifiable and you believe it, then it is knowledge. The “study of knowledge” or “theory of Knowledge” is called Epistemology.
What is JTB as
per the definition of knowledge?
Belief: It is a high cognitive state that is not yet
certain but justifiable.
Truth: What is true is in accordance with reality, the
world or the universe.
Justification: it is the
rational explanation. With regards to knowledge, it concerns itself with trying
to rationally explain why our beliefs resemble the universe. And there are two
ways of offering justification which are internalism and externalism.
Internalism
is the view that we can offer justification through
the link of beliefs to other beliefs. Internalism is in two ways, that is; it is
called foundationalism when we link a belief to self-justifying or
terminal belief to justify it and it is called Coherentism when we link
a belief to other beliefs that are not necessarily terminal or self-justifying
in nature to justify it.
Externalism
is also known as Reliabilism the view that
we can offer justification through a reliable belief formulation process.
Types of
Knowledge in philosophy
1.
Personal knowledge
is knowledge by an acquaintance, for example, you
know Eniya because you met Eniya.
2.
Procedural
knowledge is knowledge on how to do
something e.g. Being able to cook soya chunks.
3.
Propositional
knowledge is knowledge of facts e.g.
We know
the earth is a sphere.
Is it possible
to acquire knowledge?
Yes, we can
acquire knowledge according to dogmatism.
Dogmatism is the belief that we as human beings can know, regardless of our limitations.
How can we know?
knowledge is possible
through Rationalism or Empiricism
a) Rationalism
Rationalists argue that we
can acquire knowledge through reasoning or reflection on innate ideas. Their
justification of knowledge is based on internalism. They believe in knowledge
from before (Apriori) not requiring experience, for example, the idea of a triangle.
the rationalists we will focus on here are Plato and Rene Descartes
i.
Plato
Plato argues for the
existence of innate ideas and that we can only know through the recollection of
these innate ideas.
Plato’s divided
line and The allegory of the cave
In the divided line, Plato
demonstrates how we move from sense knowledge of this world to knowledge about
the world of forms through reason. Watch the divided line explanation here
In the allegory of the cave, Plato enlightens us on the difference between people who rationally see the truth by seeking it and those who mistakenly take sensory knowledge to be true, for Plato these people (empiricists) are in a cave of misunderstanding or ignorance. Watch the allegory of the cave explanation here
ii.
Rene
Descartes
Descartes argues for
absoluteness and certainness. We cannot know anything without certainty and to
come up with knowledge we need to destroy everything we know and establish a
new foundation of knowledge that is certain and absolute.
Descartes argues that we
cannot trust our senses as the empiricists suggest our senses can deceive us
just like the way they deceive us with dreams. Thus, for Descartes, everything
has to be doubted until they are a logical justification. This view of doubting
everything until it is justified is called the radical doubt approach or
the methodical doubt.
The radical
doubt approach is necessary for
that it makes an individual avoid confirmation bias (evading others claims and
evidence but priorities their conclusion)
Should we doubt
everything
According to Descartes, Yes,
but it is important to note that there are some things one cannot doubt e.g.
Truths of math, reason or logic.
How did Descartes
prove that he exists?
In his famous quote, Descartes
argued that that “I think, therefore I am.”
Descartes was asked again if he does not exist, but he is dreaming that he exists and he answered that “For me to dream, I need to exist”
How did Descartes
prove that other things exist?
Ø
The mind
The mind exists and has
innate ideas that include self-identity, substance, and God
Ø
The truths
of logic
The truths of logic exist
and are clear no evil demon can confuse one on the answer to 2+2=.
What were the
aims of the rationalist?
Ø To establish knowledge that is absolute and certain
Ø To prove that the only way we know is through
absolute and certain truth.
Ø They justify the existence of principles
comprehended by the mind known as innate ideas.
b) Empiricism
Empiricists argue that we can acquire knowledge through sensory
experience. Their justification of knowledge is based on externalism. They
believe in knowledge from after (Aposteriori) requiring experience e.g. The idea of a Mango we can imagine, remember the taste, the colour of the Mango
because we have had a sensory experience with it before. the empiricists we
will focus on here are John Locke and David Hume
i.
John Locke
Locke argues that at birth
we are born with a tabula rasa (a blank slate) where our experience is written
on. According to Locke, all our ideas come from our experience. We only know
what our senses tell us not what the external objects are really like. Locke
despised the theory of innate ideas put up by some rationalists by using
Occam's razor theory that states that one should prefer a simple theory over a
complex one. Thus, Locke claims the rationalist theory of innate ideas could
not be simplified.
Locke’s views
on ideas
Locke further suggested
that there are two types of ideas
ü Simple ideas: which we get from sensation e.g. sweet or sour
ü Complex
ideas: which are made up of the combination and reflection of simple
ideas.
Locke’s views
on objects
An object has two qualities
ü Primary qualities: which are the objective attributes of an object which include size,
weight, shape
ü Secondary qualities: which are the psychological attributes of an object
that exist in the mind e.g. colour, taste, sound?
ii.
David Hume
Hume argued that through an
experience we have impressions thus knowledge is only possible through
these impressions (sensations).
The difference
between idea and impressions
Hume suggests impression or
sensations are different from ideas in that ideas are simply memories of
impressions while the impression they are more vivid and forceful Hume
sensations are the principal source of knowledge. All genuine knowledge must
have impressions, for example, you get the impression of sweet when tasting
sugar, but the experience of u tasting sugar and knowing its sweetness that is
encoded in your mind is an idea
Types of knowledge by Hume
Hume highlights two types
of knowledge that is synthetic and analytic knowledge. Synthetic knowledge
is knowledge about the matter of facts, for example, fire is hot. And analytic
knowledge is the knowledge that is true by definition e.g. 4+4=8
What were the
aims of the empiricist?
ü to establish the principle of verifiability
ü To establish the principle of regularity
ü To establish the principle of resemblance?
No. We cannot acquire
knowledge according to skepticism.
Skepticism is the belief that we cannot have any knowledge as
human beings, Knowledge is impossible. Skeptics argue on the following levels
The first level
is by Rene Descartes, it suggests that we develop
an attitude of suspended judgement until we pass the test critical analysis
The second
level is Immanuel Kant, who suggests
that we human beings can only have limited knowledge of the world. It is also
known as academic skepticism.
The third level is by Gorgias, which holds that human beings can
never attain certain knowledge of the world. It is also known as global skepticism.
Importance of skepticism
In as much as one would
want to think the skeptics were just trying to make the attainment of knowledge
impossible. they highlighted the following important things to note
Ø Human faculties are weaker and limited
Ø Knowledge is a human being’s accomplishment
Ø Both the senses(empirical) and the human
reasoning(rational) are unreliable sources of knowledge
Relativist argued that we can acquire knowledge and this knowledge is true
because the truth is relative.
Relativism is
a view that truth is relative either subjective (personal) or conventional for
example culture, history or family.
Adapted from:
A Little Bit of Philosophy. (2021, March 12). Overview
of Epistemology (part 1) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhwIm39BSos&t=1s
A Little Bit of Philosophy. (2021, March 13). Overview
of Epistemology (part 2) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y4m5263SmM
Popkin,
R.H & Stroll, A. (1972). Introduction to philosophy. 2d ed. New York: Holt,
Rinehart and Winston.