PHIL 201STUDY GUIDE: LESSON 7What Is Epistemology? And What Is Knowledge?Lesson OverviewWith this lesson, we begin a new unit on epistemology, which is the philosophical study of knowledge claims. In this first lesson on epistemology, Dew and Foreman discuss some of the basic issues raised in the study of epistemology and then discuss the nature of knowledge itself. They consider questions such as, “What do we mean when we say we know something?” “What exactly is knowledge?TasksView and take notes of the presentation, “What is Knowledge?”- Describe the 3 different ways we use the term know.o Knowledge by aquantenceo Knowledge as a skill (competency)o Knowledge as truth claims- Explain the traditional definition of knowledge from Plato.o Knowledge is justified true belief- Know what each aspect of the traditional definition means.o Belief: something we hold to be trueo Justification: offering rationale for claiming what they claimo Truth: overwhelming amount of evidence for the claimRead Chapters 1 (“What is Epistemology?”) and 2 (“What is Knowledge?”) of How Do We Know?” As you do, make sure you understand the following points and questions:- What are the kinds of questions arise in the study of epistemology?o What does it mean to say that we know something?o How do we come to know various things?o What is truth, and how do we find it?o What does it mean to have epistemic justification, and is this necessary?o What are epistemological virtues, and are they helpful for us?o How reliable are our perceptions?o Can we have certainty?- Know the kinds of questions that preoccupy epistemologists.o What does it mean to say that we know something?o How do we come to know various things?o Problem of justification (these issues raised in epistemology reflect on how we ought to think about and orient our lives as thinking beings.)o Defeasibility ( questions invite us to explore the ways that support for our beliefs is undetermined, as well as strategies for preserving the support of our beliefs when they fall under attack.)- Know the basic reasons why the study of epistemology is important.PHIL 201o By our nature as human beings long for knowledge and depend on it for all aspects of life. Not asking these kinds of questions cuts off natural and needed intellectual growth.o Asking epistemological questions changed the modern world through science.o Our jobs require specific kinds of knowledge.o Big questions about God.- What are the different ways that the word “know” might be used?o Being acquainted with someone (knowledge by aquantence,) describe a skill (knowledge as competency,) and knowledge as truth claims (propositional knowledge.)- How did Plato define knowledge?o Something very silimilar to justified true belief- Know the difference between true opinion and knowledge.o Knowledge is different from true opinion in that knowledge has been tied down by “giving an account of the reason why.”- What are some of the basic problems/concerns with JTB?o Distinctions between criteria of justification and trutho How do we know that belief is in fact true?o The difference between the criteria of justification and truth is a bit vague. Beliefsare justified when there is some evidence for the belief and are true when the evidence is overwhelming.- What is the Gettier Problem?o Cases in which all three criteria are met but knowledge does not result. It reminds us that it is possible that our justification, even when we have it, may be faulty or founded on weak or invalid inferences.o He argued that JTB fails as a sufficient condition for knowledge. One can have belief, justification and truth, but that still does not guarantee one has actual knowledge.- What are some of the common strategies for resolving the Gettier Problem?o Changing JTB to undefeated, justified, true beliefo Someone has knowledge of something if she believes it is true, it is in fact true, and her belief of its thruthfulness was formed under reliable belief-forming processes.- Is JTB of any value to us after the Gettier Problem?o The Gettier Problem doesn destroy JTB as an understanding of knowledge. JTB does seem to give us a sense of what knowledge is and can still be thought of as a necessary condition of knowledge. At best, it shows that JTB is not a sufficient condition of knowledge because a person with JTB has no guarantee of knowledge.TermsMake sure you can explain the following terms and concepts:- Epistemology: deals with the nature - True Opinion: forms of revelatoryPHIL 201and sources of knowledge and develops a theory of knowledge- Traditional Definition of Knowledge- Justified, True, Belief: Belief: something we hold to be true Justification: wanting to know if a given beliefe is true before we can claim to have knowledge of it Truth: more than simply believing and having justification- Gettier Problem: Cases in which allthree criteria are met but knowledgedoes not result. It reminds us that it is possible that our justification, even when we have it, may be faulty or founded on weak or invalid inferences.- Knowledge by Acquaintance: knowing someone- Knowledge as Competency: being able to do a skill, knowing a skill- Propositional Knowledge: truth claims (most often used)intellectualintuition granted by the gods; grants human beings a glimpse of the objective truth that isunattainable by reason alone. It onlyfulfill the first two criteria.- Reliabilist Accounts of Knowledge:someone has knowledge of something if she believes it is true, it is in fact true, and her belief of itstruthfulness was formed under reliable belief-forming processes.- Necessary Condition: a condition required for something to be the case but might not itself guarantee that something will be the case. (oxygen is necessary for fire, but byitself oxygen is not sufficient to have a fire)- Sufficient Condition: a condition that, if met, will guarantee that something will be the case. (if it rains the street will be