IB English: The Grand Tour of Epistemology

  • Epistemology: Study of our knowing faculties; how do we know things

  • Most people think we are in a crisis of Epistemology 

    • Cascade of info inserted to us daily

    • Algorithm to train you to think in certain ways; some you don’t even know

    • AI generated content (creators too)

    • Things that may not exist 

  • Why are we on this tour?

  1. Ideas do not spontaneously come into being.

    1. Most people conform to the ideas of their culture and deviate from it if they find another idea compelling. No one really has their own ideas. 80% of people adopt the same ideas of their parents. None of us will receive an idea that is entirely of our own thoughts.

  2. What you know is mostly the result of a long conversation.

    1. To some extent, we still listen to a part of the conversation.

  3. Knowledge of the history of epistemology will hone your thinking.

  4. Philosophy is the pursuit of wisdom, and wisdom makes every aspect of life better.

    1. Need wisdom for Fork in Road

  • “The School of Athens”

    • Cognito Caudaurom = The Knowledge of Causes

    • In knowing cause, can know a thing better

    • The two most important figures are Plato and Aristotle

      • Aristotle looking up: The Forums - You need to look at the real world - “Touch grass” to know a thing better

    • Two eyes give depth perception - just like the two figures gives us depth

  • Context: The Drama of Epistemology - Plato

    • Plato only wrote dramatic dialogues

    • Why does philosophy begin as a drama?

      • Story begin w/Socrates entering into the Port of Athens (Piraeus) and corrupting the youth by asking questions. 

    • Main Character - Socrates: Condemned for “impiety (questioning religion @ time)” in 399 B.C.

    • Three Parts: Setting, Soul, Education

    • Order of coming to being: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle

  • Setting of The Republic (Book 1, pp. 3-4)

    • The Piraeus (port city/commercial center)

    • Goes to pray to new goddess and observe the festival. New gods are already there

    • Plato establishes the defense of Socrates

      • Questions arise: What are the obstacles to knowledge? What is justice? (How much tax should someone pay?)

        • Are those just born and women who are pregnant, make for more/less for justice? How do we know?

  • The Soul

    • The “city of speech” allows us to see justice.

    • Why does philosophy begin as a drama?

    • Soul: passions, reason, spiritedness (that person has heart, not emotional, but a character)

    • Main character Lianasis: Public hearing of corpses, one of guys looking @ them & troubled by it - looking @ corpses introduced the two ways of knowing

      • Two ways of knowing: curiositas(sparks smthg w/in you, fasciation) and studiositas(looking @ smthg for the desire to know)

    • Curiositas: Plato said \Right reason is to understand the deep meaning behind depths. 

  • Education

    • If philosophy has a moral component, then how we educate is important.

    • How do we educate rightly? Pg. 54 - It depends on as little bias as possible, and a objective reality; Need to know that if you are a person, you have a finite perspective

    • What do we mean by right? Justice? Moral? Pragmatic? 

    • How biased is a person and how do you deal w/these biases?

    • Content of education-false/true tales pg. 55 - to hone and use their passions in right way ~ good

      • How do we learn abt the ways of evil?

        • *Can be filtered through parent’s voice reading story, etc.

      • Important education is physical: 

    • Style - does style matter pg. 80

    • Emotional preparation precedes academic preparation

      • Know the right/wrong things to have/love