Epistemology is the study of knowledge, acquisition thereof, and the justification of belief in a given claim.
Epistemology is a study of knowledge and belief that complements formal, propositional logic.
- This field of inquiry delves into what knowledge is and what it can't be
- Epistemology seeks to understand the relationship of things we claim to know to things we think we know, but may be mistaking 'unjustified belief' for 'knowledge'
- Typically this will deal with the content of a belief, not the claim directly
- It further explores what methods we use to accumulate knowledge
- Epistemic evaluation of the rationale for collecting knowledge is based on understanding what methods and data support a given claim
- Typically this will deal with the type of research
- Epistemology also seeks out how to evaluate the weight given to claims of knowledge
- Frequently, one will see qualifications like "Justified True Belief" (JTB) and similar measures of a claim's epistemic status under some scope of certainty
- Typically this will deal with the type of claim
Questions for Philosophy Stackexchange that are tagged with epistemology should indicate the specific thread of epistemological inquiry is involved with a given area. For instance, check out the emboldened key words as they flag what the question is asking:
By which methods is it possible to evaluate a claim about a teapot in a place that neither I, nor any other person, nor any possible current technology can access? What kinds of claims to knowledge can be made about such a teapot? How can these types of claims and the consequent claims be exported to a conversation about something else?
When answering questions in this vein try to stick to the key word and answer in line with it. Try to outline the secondary expectations for the given area.
When editing a question that is embedded with epistemic assumptions, refer back to these key words to straighten it up for more rigorous answers.
