Epistemology is the theory of knowledge: systematic human reflection on what it means for humans to know. Knowledge is fundamental to our human condition. Humans are embodied and minded beings, situated within the universe. The universe is the whole cosmic system of which Earth is a part. ‘The universe is everything. It includes all of space, and all the matter and energy that space contains. It even includes time itself and, of course, it includes you’ (https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanets/what-is-the-universe/).
How we think about knowledge ultimately depends on how we think about the universe – on how we conceive of our cosmological relations. Our conceptions of knowledge depend, for example, on whether we think of ourselves as ‘selves’ who are essentially separate from others, human and other-than-human, or as ‘selves’ that become who we are through their interactions with others, human and other-than-human, or as beings for which no division between ‘self’ and others is meaningful.
Systematic reflection on knowledge requires us not only to reflect on how we think of our cosmological relations. It requires, in addition, attentiveness to the multiple specific contexts in which knowers are situated - historical, social, economic, political, cultural, familial, institutional and so on.
These, alongside other complexities, make epistemology a challenging task. Nonetheless it is important, particularly for anyone concerned to address the most pressing problems confronting humans today, above all, anthropogenic planetary destruction, and to seek fundamental social transformation on a global scale. For, what we know and do not know, and how we think about knowledge, has political implications, directly affecting our efforts to achieve a better life for every human on the planet.
Accordingly, the specific focus of the module is the role of knowledge (and ignorance) in contemporary political life (broadly understood). We will explore the ways in which knowledge is socially conditioned and structured by power, as well as the ways in which knowledge can challenge or sustain forms and practices of oppression. We will seek to push the boundaries of our own, contextually specific, understandings of knowledge in ways that will equip us better to address the pressing political problems of our times.