Learning Outcomes:
If you seriously engage with this course, you'll learn to:
1. Critically reflect on classic and contemporary debates in epistemology.
2. Identify key concepts and theories in epistemology, and show awareness of potential problems that have led to the refinement of those concepts and theories in the course of the relevant debates.
3. Interpret and understand classic and contemporary texts in epistemology.
4. Write well-structured and well-argued philosophical essays that explain and critically assess the key concepts and theories introduced in the module.
5. Respond to constructive feedback on your arguments and views.
6. Articulate your own responses to philosophical views, support them with reasons, and defend them in light of potential objections.
Indicative Module Content:
The module is divided into two halves. In the first half (Weeks 1-7), we'll address questions concerning the nature and scope of knowledge, such as:
1. What is the relationship between knowledge, truth, and belief?
2. Is it possible to provide a strict definition of what it is to *know* something?
3. Does knowledge require *certainty*?
4. Does the *epistemic justification of belief* depend solely on what goes on in our heads, or also on how we relate to the world around us?
5. How should we respond to those who argue that we have no real knowledge of anything outside our own private experiences and sensations?
For an introduction to some of the topics of this half, see here (copy and paste this link into your browser):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_Y3utIeTPg&t=123s
In the second half of the course (Weeks 8-12), we'll address some questions concerning the social and ethical dimensions of knowledge, such as:
6. Do ethical considerations favour a particular view of knowledge?
7. Are there *ethical* as well as rational standards of belief, i.e. can it be wrong to believe something even if it is perfectly rational to believe it?
8. How do we gain knowledge from others, and are there special forms of injustice connected with the transmission of knowledge?
9. How should we understand concepts like 'conspiracy theories', 'fake news', and 'epistemic bubbles'?
For an introduction to some of the topics of this half, see here (copy and paste this link into your browser):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4AybWp4O8Q