1. Epistemology Trying to answer the question … How can I know for sure?

2. Do you see what I see?

3. To Begin: 1. 1. What do you know (with at least some degree of certainty)? List. 2. On what basis can you make that claim?

4. Understanding the source(s) of your knowledge is the key to being reasonably certain that your knowledge is true or accurate.

5. Sources of Knowledge: Much of what we know is based on “belief” (as defined in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary as “trust or confidence; … acceptance (of a thing, fact, statement, etc) (editor. Barber, 1998 ed)

6. The questions we (as emerging epistemologists) must ask are: Is acceptance and trust really knowledge? If I believe something to be true, do I really know that it is true? Answer: something must be added to belief to make it become knowledge. Agree? Disagree?

7. Approaches to Epistemology: Foundationalism:  Used for centuries  Root word is “foundation”  For a belief to become more than just opinion, and enter the realm of certainty or truth, it must be supported by reasons or evidence from reliable sources Evidence must be self-validating (they must support the reliability of a belief on their own)

8. Mighty tongues tell mighty lies.

9.  Ex: evidence that is innate (idea that is present in the mind and has not been subjected counter-arguments) (Idea of Plato) Plato would say: Chap. 18 Britney Spears Chap. 16 Attack Chap. 11 Meet the Press

10. Mighty tongues tell mighty lies.  Ex: Empirical evidence (evidence supported by information derived from the senses) (linked to Aristotle (though not a term used during his lifetime) and Locke) Aristotle and Locke would say: Chap. 18 Britney Spears Chap. 16 Attack Chap. 11 Meet the Press

11. Mighty tongues tell mighty lies.  Ex: Rational faculty, a decision made by the brain while being subjected to cultural and societal ideas, allows for an opinion to become knowledge (Descartes) Descartes would say: Chap. 18 Britney Spears Chap. 16 Attack Chap. 11 Meet the Press

12. Skepticism  Founded about 2300 years ago in Ancient Greece  Disagreements over true knowledge would only lead to a state of tension  Sextus Empiricus, a skeptic, said that when presented with contradictory beliefs in which there is solid evidence on both sides, you shouldn’t struggle too hard to determine the answer  Instead, maintain the questioning attitude

13. Continued  Gorgias of Leontini (483 BCE – 376 BCE) said that even empirical evidence isn’t true knowledge  He says that sensations vary from people to people  Therefore, sense knowledge cannot be used as proof of true knowledge

14. Plato: School of Rationalism  Believed in two worlds  One: visible, imperfect world of the senses; imperfect because it changes constantly, therefore it can never be known  Two: invisible world of perfect, innate ideas; already exists within the human mind, therefore it is known  Ex: Concert  Exercise: Read pg 203 (bottom) – 205  Notes and copy chart on pg 205

15. Descartes: School of Doubt  Doubted that the senses are an avenue to knowledge  Used skepticism to differentiate between believing and knowing  Founded the idea of deductive reasoning; wherein every statement must be “deduced, or derived, from a previous statement that is assumed to be true” (205)  Exercise: Read pg. 206  Create chart to compare and contrast Plato and Descartes  Copy chart (top pf pg. 206)

16. Noam Chomsky: School of Language  Theory of innate ideas helps to explain why we understand language  Theorizes that language is “hard-wired in humans”  Exercise: Read pg. 207  Answer questions

17. The Senses as a Basis of Knowing  Read pg. 208-212  Take notes on Aristotle, Aquinas, Locke and Hume