The Importance Of Epistemology

What does it mean to know something? Are there conditions which must be met in order to claim that you know something? Finally, are there limits to what can be known about a particular subject or thing? These, generally speaking, are the questions that epistemology is concerned with. Broadly defined epistemology, is the study of what it means “to know.” Epistemologists reflect on both the nature of knowledge and the limitations of the human ability to comprehend things in the world.

Epistemology can be thought of as the heart of philosophy. Some of the earliest philosophers started their enterprise by asking questions we’d today recognize as epistemological in nature. This makes sense when you think about it, as a deeper reflection on the exact nature of knowledge would provide a philosopher with a better means of categorizing what they learn through the process of philosophy. But why even ask these questions? Don’t we use knowledge every day? Isn’t it self-defeating to even ask questions like these? What do you know?

This is because, in a manner of speaking, philosophers don’t like to take anything for granted. Philosophers like to put to the microscope key assumptions that are unconsciously applied in most people’s daily lives. This can be seen in some of the most infamous writings of philosophy, like Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and Rene Descartes’ Mediations. Both are iconic for inviting their readers to indulge in a peculiar sort of skepticism about reality as they might understand