Epistemology
Knowledge and Truth
correspondance
“To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while to say of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not, is true” - Aristotle
"A cat is on a mat" is true only if somewhere in the world there is a cat and a mat. The cat is related to the mat, by being on it. This is true because it is a fact, and I know that it is true.
"Ramey sings" is true, if you can hear and see Ramey singing.
I Know that Ramey is singing because it is a fact.
I am acquainted with Ramey and his singing
X is true if it corresponds with a fact. It is true if it corresponds to the way things actually are.
Pragmatism
If humans perceive the ocean as beautiful, then the ocean is beautiful. Even if beauty is meaningless outside of the human experience
May incorporate human factors
Something is true in the context of a certain culture but not another.
Coherence
A belief is true if it part of a coherent system of beliefs.
If you drop a ball you are testing:
Your beliefs in gravity
Your beliefs in the accuracy of your visual perception
ECT.
If you clap you are testing:
Your beliefs that you can move your arms
Your beliefs that it will make a noise
Your beliefs that you can hear it
Knowledge-that
I know that:
-moving the pedals forwards moves the bike
-turning the handle bars will steer the bike
-squeezing the lever on the handle will cause the bike to brake
I know that: OCD
I need to stop excessively washing my hands
I need to stop turning the lights on and off 8 times
I need to stop petting my dog exactly 6 times
knowledge-how
I can explain the way to ride a bike, but do I know how to ride a bike?
I know I need to stop doing these things, but I don't know how.
knowledge by acquaintance
things you know by being acquainted with. You know your family, pets, teachers, ect.
You know these things by being acquainted with them
You become acquainted with something when you meet it first hand
Example: That lamp is bright
I know the lamp is bright because I am acquainted with it.
Knowledge-wh
Whether question
2 varieties: yes/no, presents answers
Example: Did you pick answer a, b, or c
- 1) yes 2) I picked b
This proposes that they answered the question, so a corrective answer would say: I did not answer the question.
Who Question
Answered with a person
Example: who ate the cookie?
Why Questions
Answered with an explanation
Example: why do dogs bark?
What Questions
what questions are typically open ended
Example: What are you doing tonight?