EPISTEMOLOGY: BRANCH OF PHILOSOPHY CONCERNED WITH THE SCOPE OF KNOWLEDGE.

Epistemology considers: What is knowledge? How is knowledge required? To what extent is it possible for a given subject to be known?

LEIBNIZ Two Truths: Truths of Reason and Fact

Analytic Statement Example: “My next door neighbors consist of a bachelor and his fat wife.” How can you determine the truth of this statement? We can determine it without having to look outside of the statement itself.

Synthetic Statement Example: My next-door neighbors consist of a red-haired man and his wife. How can you determine the truth of this statement? We can only determine it if we conduct an investigation.

OTHER NOTABLE IDEAS ASSERTED THAT GOD, THE MOST PERFECT BEING, CREATED THE BEST OF POSSIBLE WORLDS, WHICH CONTAINS MAN’S FREE WILL. IN CONSEQUENCE TO A WORLD OF FREE WILL, THERE WILL BE EVIL AND WRONGDOING. THIS IS STILL BETTER THAN A WORLD WITHOUT FREE WILL. THIS IS WHY GOD CREATED A WORLD WITH SO MUCH EVIL.

OTHER NOTABLE IDEAS For everything that is the case, there must be a reason why it is case. This is called “sufficient reason.” Now given credit for coming up with foundations of mathematical logic – especially in what we now understand as Calculus.

GOTTFRIED LIEBNIZ’S KEY QUESTION WHY IS THERE SOMETHING RATHER THAN NOTHING?