Epistemology and Theories of Knowledge

A collection of flashcards summarizing key concepts, terms, and theories related to epistemology and the nature of knowledge.

Epistemology

Theory of knowledge, origins and nature.

Rationalism

Knowledge originating from reason and logic.

Empiricism

Sensory knowledge.

A priori knowledge

Knowledge acquired prior to experience and cannot be false.

Synthetic a priori

Conceptual schemes known prior to experience, used to make sense - also called implicit knowledge.

Tabula rasa

Theory of the mind beginning as a blank slate, filled with knowledge through experiences.

Skepticism

Belief that we can never truly know anything.

Noumenal and Phenomenal world

Noumenal refers to reality as it is, while phenomenal is how we perceive it.

Plato's JTB

For a statement to be true, it must be justified, true, and believed.

A posteriori knowledge

Knowledge derived from experience, such as scientific facts.

Hume's fork

Divides knowledge into two categories, knowledge that fits or is considered meaningless.

Deductive reasoning

Produces knowledge based on reasoning through two premises and a conclusion.

Inductive reasoning

Uses experience to make inferences with conclusions that do not guarantee certainty.

Correspondence theory

Truth is what propositions have when they correspond to reality.

Coherence theory

Truth recognized when a proposition is compatible with other propositions that are true.

Theory of forms

Consists of the real world and perfect conceptual ideas known as forms.

Plato's cave

Allegory describing the theory of forms and the epistemological interpretation of reality.

Dualism

The mind is an independently existing substance.

Monism

The mind and body are separate entities, not dependent on one another.

Qualia

Instances of subjective, conscious experience.

Pan psychism

A mind is a fundamental aspect of the world, existing throughout the universe.

Free will

The capacity of people to choose actions and be the ultimate source of their actions.

Determinism

The belief that all actions are caused by prior events and are therefore inevitable.

Zombie argument

If a physically identical human lacks inner feelings, then consciousness is not purely physical.

Compatibilists

View that free will holds as long as humans are not externally coerced.

Hard determinism

The acceptance of determinism only.

Metaphysical libertarians

Belief in free will and some form of indeterminism.

Incompatibilists

Belief that free will and determinism are incompatible.