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Knowledge

Knowledge

By Lisa Mosconi

A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2014.

0.0 / 0

17 mins read

14 Key insights

A brief summary of Knowledge

A thought-provoking overview of philosophical theories about knowledge, from the ancient Greeks to the present, diving into profound questions regarding the nature of truth, belief, and reality itself.

Key insights in Knowledge

1
What do you get from this book? A tour of the myriad philosophical debates around our capacity for knowledge
2
Epistemology is a deeply rooted branch of philosophy that questions the nature of human knowledge
3
“Knowing” is not the same as “thinking” or “believing”—it is inextricably tied to truth, another debated concept
4
Skepticism questions whether we can truly know anything at all, a position that has been difficult to disprove
5
The ‘brain in a vat’ thought experiment is persuasive, but critics of skepticism give us good reason to trust reality
6
Rationalism and empiricism emerged in the early Modern period and drew on a new scientific way of thinking
7
Edmund Gettier shook up epistemology in the 1960s by showing that true, justified beliefs don’t always count as knowledge
8
Internalists and externalists debate the need for direct, individual access to evidence supporting a belief
9
Testimony is information that we gain from others; some epistemologists consider it a special, direct form of knowledge
10
Contextualism argues that what we know depends on our circumstances and criteria, reconciling skepticism with other epistemological theories
11
We all share a special intuitive capacity to spot knowledge, although those intuitions aren’t always right
12
Summary of the key insights
13
Selected critiques in brief
14
Final word

Who should read Knowledge

Humanities students • philosophy enthusiasts • curious people • anyone interested in the concept of knowledge • fans of Greek philosophy

About the author of Knowledge

Jennifer Nagel, Ph.D. is a Canadian philosopher and professor at the University of Toronto. She specializes in epistemology and the philosophy of mind, having written about central figures like John Locke and René Descartes. Nagel also founded Room for More, a Toronto-based organization which helps Syrian refugees arriving in Canada.

author avatar

Lisa Mosconi

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