PHIL 201STUDY GUIDE: LESSON 11Acquiring KnowledgeLesson OverviewIn our introductory lesson in epistemology, we defined knowledge as “justified true belief.” In our last lesson, we discussed the “truth” aspect of this definition. In this lesson, we want to examine the “belief” element. Knowledge begins by adopting beliefs and one question philosophers have deliberated about for centuries has to do with the source of our beliefs: where do they come from? That is the subject of our reading and our presentation. There is some overlap between these, but consider one as expounding upon the other.TasksView and take notes on the presentation, “How are Beliefs Acquired?”- According to Plato, how do we learn things?Rationalism. Two worlds, world of being & world of becoming. Encounter forms. Born with knowledge and learning is then a process of recollection of what we already know. (Slides)- How did Descartes arrive at the existence of God? Matter?Geometric method - can know something thru intuition (theorems) & deduction (proofs). Doubted everything - only existence can't be doubted (slides)- Explain Kant’s combination of empiricism and rationalism and his radical conclusion.…reality provides the “raw data” (called the noumena) through our senses. But then our mind takes that and manipulates that and organizes that into knowledge, which he called the phenomena of what we knowWhat Kant basically concluded was this: that causality, time, and space are real. They are very much real. But they are not properties of reality; they are programmed functions of our mind in understanding the world.Read and take notes on Chapter 3 of How Do You Know? A Short Introduction to the Issues of Epistemology, “Where Does Knowledge Come From?” As you do, consider the following questions and points:- List the 5 sources for knowledge.1. Reason (used by rationalists) pg. 322. Experience - pg. 373. Testimony - pg. 424. Revelation - pg. 445. Faith (not a source) some use it. pg. 45Page 1 of 5PHIL 201- Explain Plato’s doctrine of the forms and the 2 worlds, and why Plato was hesitant to build a theory of knowledge on the physical world.Plato argued that ultimate reality was not in physical objects of experience, which constantly change, but in the metaphysical entities known as forms. Hesitant to build a theory of knowledge on the physical world due to physical objects being subject to change and felt knowledge should be based on things that are fixed causing us to use reason and reflection to consider the forms themselves (p33)- How do we gain true knowledge according to Plato?Knowledge was gained only when one considered the forms, and not when one considered the physical world. (pg. 34)- Explain Plato’s divided line.The horizontal line divided reality into 2 different realms. The metaphysical and the physical. Then he added a vertical line which illustrated the dominant role that reason plays in his theory of knowledge. (pg. 34)- What was Descartes searching for and how did he conduct that search?Descartes had 2 questions:1. How do we know what we know?2. Can we have any certainty?He mostly wanted was a way to establish his knowledge with absolute certainty.He decided he would DOUBT EVERYTHING except for those ideas which were clear and distinct in his mind. (pg. 35)- Why can Descartes be certain about is existence?He could doubt the existence of his body, but could not doubt that he himself existed. (pg. 36)- What is the distinction between hard and soft empiricism?Hard empiricism - claim that knowledge comes ONLY from the senses.Soft empiricism - claim that MOST knowledge comes to us through the senses. (pg. 38)- How does the epicurean view of reality affect their epistemology?Because they believed the physical world was all there is to reality, knowledge of any kind must be about the physical only. Where our senses give us direct information about the world, Epicureans thought we were obliged to accept it as true. (pg. 38-39)- Contrast the deductive method with Bacon’s inductive (scientific) method.Deductive method - (Aristotelian) - scientists started with general ideas that were held to be true and then interpreted their observations about nature through the lens of the general axion.Bacon's inductive (scientific) method - (novum organum)-emphasized thorough experimentation & observation of the physical world at the heart of the scientific enterprise. (pg. 39)Page 2 of 5PHIL 201- Explain Locke’s empiricism including his division of simple and complex ideas.He suggested that ideas are the mental objects of the mind that represent the external world. Those ideas come to us thru the senses and apart from these we have no other knowledge. (pg. 40)Simple Idea: Consists of a mental representation of 1 single quality, unmixed with any others. Ex: qualities about a coffee mug (white, hot, ceramic, smell of coffee). Each of these qualities is a simple idea. (pg. 40)Complex Idea: Built from many different simple ideas presented to the mind. Ex: the coffee mug as a whole represents a complex idea. (pg. 40)- Explain Hume’s radical empiricism including Hume’s Fork and the conclusion he reachesbased on the egocentric predicament.Claims that one is locked into knowing only what the senses tell and dependent on theses senses for knowledge of the world. Hume's fork is the division of knowledge into 2 - relations of ideas & matters of fact. (pg. 41)- Why are epistemologists suspicious of testimony as a source for knowledge?One must be careful when relying on this particular source of knowledge. Personal testimony is not a firsthand source of knowledge like reason or experience. (pg. 43)- Why is divine revelation an important source of knowledge about God?Most of our knowledge of God is not derived from nature. Our trust in the Bible as a source of knowledge rests on the authority and trustworthy nature of Jesus. The Bible offers vital information about God which is vital for understanding of the Divine. (pg. 45)- Is faith properly understood as a source of knowledge? Why or why not?Not a good source of knowledge - it does not give any new information or knowledge. It is a response to the knowledge that we receive about God through divine revelation. Onedoes not KNOW things by faith. Allows anyone to affirm anything "by faith." (pg. 46)Page 3 of 5PHIL 201TermsMake sure you fully understand the following terms and concepts:- RationalismKnowledge gained by the use of reason. (pg.