Epistemology - Knowledge

3 Types of Knowledge

Propositional, ability and acquaintance

Propositional Knowledge

Facts

Ability Knowledge

Skills

Acquaintance Knowledge

Experiences

2 purposes of a definition

Practical and Theoretical

Practical Purpose of Knowledge

Application to everyday life

Theoretical Purpose of Knowledge

Precise, understanding the concept and how it relates to other concepts

Necessary Conditions

Absolute and impossible not to be the case, fundamental truth - must have necessary conditions for knowledge

Necessary Condition Definition

Condition X is said to be necessary for condition Y if (and only if) the falsity of condition X guarantees the falsity of condition Y

Example of Necessary Condition

If Mr X is a bachelor, Mr X is an unmarried man (if antecedent is true, consequent is true) (being unmarried is a necessary condition for being a bachelor as to be a bachelor one must be unmarried, if the statement is swapped ‘If Mr X is an unmarried man, Mr X is a bachelor’ which works and shows that if Mr X is not an unmarried man, he cannot be a bachelor showing being unmarried is necessary for being a bachelor)

Sufficient Conditions

Have more flexibility and can swap conditions round to test/identify if sufficient conditions are present (does not work when swapped - see example to clarify)

Example of Sufficient Conditions

If Mr X is a bachelor, Mr X is an unmarried man (if Mr X is a bachelor, that guarantees he is an unmarried man so is sufficient however being an unmarried man is not only limited to bachelors e.g. a widower so being unmarried is not sufficient to conclude someone is a bachelor → being an unmarried man does not mean being a bachelor so is not sufficient when swapped in reverse)

Further Explanation of the Example

Depends on the direction at which you look at the statement:

Sufficient: Being a bachelor → unmarried (if you are a bachelor, you must be unmarried so being a bachelor is sufficient to say you are unmarried)

Necessary: Being unmarried ← bachelor (if you are a bachelor, you must be unmarried so being unmarried is necessary to be a bachelor)

Sufficient Conditions Definition

Condition X is said to be sufficient for condition Y if (and only if) the truth of condition X guarantees the truth of condition Y

Example of a necessary condition that is not sufficient

Having fuel is a necessary condition for a car to run, but not a sufficient one (a car cannot run without fuel so fuel is necessary but just having fuel does not guarantee a car will run e.g. dead battery or broken engine so not sufficient on its own)

Example of a sufficient condition that is not necessary

Being a dog is sufficient condition to be a mammal, but not a necessary one (all dogs are mammals so being a dog is sufficient to guarantee it is a mammal but not all mammals are dogs so being a dog is not necessary to be a mammal)

Plato’s View on Knowledge

Knowledge = certainty

Belief = lack of certainty

Ignorance = no certainty

2 Orders of Reality

Metaphysical Reality and Physical Reality

Metaphysical Reality

Unchanging, knowledge and certainty

Examples of Metaphysical Reality

Forms (e.g. good and justice), concepts and ideals (e.g. perfect versions of forms)

Physical Reality

Changeable, belief and uncertainty

Examples of Physical Reality

Physical objects, imperfect copies of forms (e.g. actions such as goodness), subjective and contextual

Plato’s Levels of Certainty within the 2 Orders of Reality

• concepts have more certainty than physical objects

• imperfect copies of forms in the physical reality are/will never be as good as the perfect version of the form that exists in the metaphysical reality

• according to Plato, only a philosopher is able to understand the idea of having 2 orders of reality

3 Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Knowledge

• truth

• belief

• justification

Tripartite Definition of Knowledge

Knowledge → justified true belief

(Tripartite Definition of Knowledge) can have knowledge if and only if:

• the proposition (p) is true

• you believe that p

• your belief that p is justified

Potential Flaw with Tripartite Definition of Knowledge

→ assumes knowledge is good and unjustified beliefs are bad

→ implying certainty rather than stating it explicitly (can certainty ever be reached?)