ASSIGNMENT:                 PSY474V STUDENT NUMBER:        34769935 DefinitionExamplesEpistemologyEpistemology is the theory of knowledge.  In fact, so far as I can tell, "epistemology" and "theory of knowledge" are used interchangeably in, for instance, college course catalogues.  Epistemology, then, is the branch of philosophy that deals with questions concerning the nature, scope, and sources and origins and limits of knowledge. It must be noted that epistemology as a distinct branch of philosophy is of recent origin.Other refers to it as the study of the valid forms of knowledge. It comes from the Greek "episteme" which means knowledge. Usually Descartes is considered the first philosopher to seriously work in epistemology. The validity of knowledge was more or less taken for granted by previous philosophers. It was only when Descartes began to systematically doubt the veracity of knowledge that problems of knowledge became apparent.Epistemology is concerned with the possibility and extent of human knowledge and every scientific discipline that contributes to the collective efforts of human beings. It really deals with constructivism, that's a philosophical term. How we define truth, the knowledge that supports those truths.It is safe to say that every philosopher since the beginning of civilization has been concerned to some degree with epistemology. With careful scrutiny, philosophers attempt to differentiate truth from belief and appearances. Epistemology aims to provide a foundation for what we consider to be true knowledge.Many of the most important philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle maintained that knowledge is possible. Their epistemology rested on the ability to clearly differentiate between appearance and reality. For Plato, this epistemology was famously illustrated through his theory of forms. Aristotle’s
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epistemology asserted that true knowledge could be attained through the examination of cause and effect, combined with the application of reason and logic.Other ancient philosophical schools, notably the skeptics, declared that any and all knowledge is impossible. For them, what we call knowledge is only considered belief at best. In other words, we can never be certain that anything is as it appears. The epistemology of the skeptics elicited a major response from other schools of philosophy, such as the stoics, that were devoted to the idea that knowledge is in fact possible.An example of this could be truth it ...

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