2019-2020 Catalog

PHIL 308 Epistemology

What is the difference between knowledge and mere belief or opinion? What do we really know, and how do we know it? Are we capable of knowing anything other than our own states of mind, including the minds of others, the future, and our physical surroundings?  Epistemology—the study of the nature and scope of knowledge—is the branch of philosophy concerned with such questions. This course covers historical and contemporary approaches to the question of what knowledge is, what makes a belief true, and how beliefs are justified. Skepticism about the possibility of knowledge will also be discussed, as will possible responses. Other topics may include induction, naturalism, and the internalism/externalism debate. 

Credits

3

Prerequisite

WRIT 102 or 201 and one previous PHIL course