THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE STUDY NOTES
KNOWLEDGE AND THE KNOWER - CORE THEME
Introduction
• What is knowledge?
◦Plato: Knowledge is a justified, true belief
• Belief
◦A psychological certainty
◦A mental state (frame of mind)
• Truth
◦Epistemically (validated through knowledge) certainty
◦Knowledge based on reality
• Procedural knowledge is easy to demonstrate
◦But how do we demonstrate propositional knowledge?
‣ Examine using knowledge concepts
• Evidence
• Certainty
• Truth
• Interpretation
• Power
• Justification
• Explanation
• Objectivity
• Perspective
• Culture
• Values
• Responsibility
• Emotion
• Sense Perception
• Language
• Reason
• Memory
• Imagination
• Intuition
• Faith
Belief VS Truth
• If there is no belief, can it be knowledge?
◦Not a necessary condition because we can believe false claims
• Belief does not equal knowledge BUT it cannot be knowledge if we do not believe it
◦Two people can believe contradictory claims
• Belief: state of mind
• Truth: objective and public
◦What is true for me is true for everyone
◦Eternal and unchanging
◦What is true will forever be true
• Truth is independent from belief
• Does not matter if everyone or no one believes the truth BUT knowledge must be believed and
must be true
, • Tests for truth
◦Correspondence test
‣ True because it matches the real world
• (ex. Saw something with your own eyes)
◦Coherence test
‣ True because it fits the other truths
• (ex. If A > B, B > C, then A > C)
◦Pragmatic test
‣ Truth in practice
• (ex. I know the sky is blue because I know the color of blue look like on other
objects)
• Evaluating knowledge claims
◦Observation (evidence)
‣ Subject to perception differences, selection issues
◦Confirmation Bias
‣ Does it make more sense given what we know? Is it confirming our previous
knowledge?
◦Popularity Bias
‣ The greater majority agrees it is true
◦Matches reality
◦Authority Fallacy
‣ Based on authority/experts
Personal VS Shared Knowledge
• Personal knowledge
◦Knowledge we personally have
‣ Is experiential, innate
• Community of knowers
◦Tribalism: behaviour and attitudes exhibited as a result of belonging to tribes or groups
◦Can be any group of knowers an individual may associate with
• Shared knowledge
◦All knowledge that can be communicated between people
◦Much of general knowledge comes from knowledge communities, particularly academic
knowledge communities
◦Also includes new knowledge passed on when discovered or created
◦We are reliant on shared knowledge
◦Everything is the product of the collective knowledge of many people
• Personal identity
◦How we define ourselves
‣ Is contingent on environment and changeable as we constantly challenge what we
know
Knowledge Questions
• Knowledge questions
◦Questions about knowledge
◦About how knowledge is produced, acquired, shared and used
◦We have to know what knowledge is vs is not
◦Who has it vs who does not
◦Who decides the answers
◦Focus on on how knowledge is constructed and evaluated
KNOWLEDGE AND THE KNOWER - CORE THEME
Introduction
• What is knowledge?
◦Plato: Knowledge is a justified, true belief
• Belief
◦A psychological certainty
◦A mental state (frame of mind)
• Truth
◦Epistemically (validated through knowledge) certainty
◦Knowledge based on reality
• Procedural knowledge is easy to demonstrate
◦But how do we demonstrate propositional knowledge?
‣ Examine using knowledge concepts
• Evidence
• Certainty
• Truth
• Interpretation
• Power
• Justification
• Explanation
• Objectivity
• Perspective
• Culture
• Values
• Responsibility
• Emotion
• Sense Perception
• Language
• Reason
• Memory
• Imagination
• Intuition
• Faith
Belief VS Truth
• If there is no belief, can it be knowledge?
◦Not a necessary condition because we can believe false claims
• Belief does not equal knowledge BUT it cannot be knowledge if we do not believe it
◦Two people can believe contradictory claims
• Belief: state of mind
• Truth: objective and public
◦What is true for me is true for everyone
◦Eternal and unchanging
◦What is true will forever be true
• Truth is independent from belief
• Does not matter if everyone or no one believes the truth BUT knowledge must be believed and
must be true
, • Tests for truth
◦Correspondence test
‣ True because it matches the real world
• (ex. Saw something with your own eyes)
◦Coherence test
‣ True because it fits the other truths
• (ex. If A > B, B > C, then A > C)
◦Pragmatic test
‣ Truth in practice
• (ex. I know the sky is blue because I know the color of blue look like on other
objects)
• Evaluating knowledge claims
◦Observation (evidence)
‣ Subject to perception differences, selection issues
◦Confirmation Bias
‣ Does it make more sense given what we know? Is it confirming our previous
knowledge?
◦Popularity Bias
‣ The greater majority agrees it is true
◦Matches reality
◦Authority Fallacy
‣ Based on authority/experts
Personal VS Shared Knowledge
• Personal knowledge
◦Knowledge we personally have
‣ Is experiential, innate
• Community of knowers
◦Tribalism: behaviour and attitudes exhibited as a result of belonging to tribes or groups
◦Can be any group of knowers an individual may associate with
• Shared knowledge
◦All knowledge that can be communicated between people
◦Much of general knowledge comes from knowledge communities, particularly academic
knowledge communities
◦Also includes new knowledge passed on when discovered or created
◦We are reliant on shared knowledge
◦Everything is the product of the collective knowledge of many people
• Personal identity
◦How we define ourselves
‣ Is contingent on environment and changeable as we constantly challenge what we
know
Knowledge Questions
• Knowledge questions
◦Questions about knowledge
◦About how knowledge is produced, acquired, shared and used
◦We have to know what knowledge is vs is not
◦Who has it vs who does not
◦Who decides the answers
◦Focus on on how knowledge is constructed and evaluated
