Epistemology Is One of the Core Branches of Philosophy - Essay Example

?Epistemology and Psychology Epistemology is one of the core branches of philosophy. The traditional definition of epistemology according to Schmitt (2004) is that conceptual and normative study of language since it “enquires into the definition, criteria, normative standards, and sources of knowledge and of kindred statuses like justified belief, evidence, confirmation, rational belief, perceiving, remembering, and intelligence.” (p. 841) Simply put, however, epistemology can be just referred to as that philosophical branch that deals with the scope and limits of human knowledge. The characteristics of epistemology, as outlined in its various definitions, make it crucial in the field of psychology. Development Epistemology was coined by James Frederick Ferrier back in the 1800s but the concept has already existed since the Greek antiquity. Its history could be traced as far back as Plato’s and Aristotle’s time wherein the field was primarily concerned with the definition of knowledge and what legitimates it. At this stage, epistemology has already started to inquire on the sources of knowledge or how individuals acquire it, although in a lesser degree. Throughout the years, the field has become increasingly typified by focus on the limitations of knowledge besides its core objectives. The focus of contemporary epistemology, wrote Schwartz (2006), is deeply influenced by the work of Descartes and his method of doubt, particularly in the Meditations on First Philosophy wherein he investigated the nature and limitations of knowledge. According to him, Descartes attempted in this work to find the foundational principles upon which human knowledge rests by trying to determine some sort of fact that individuals can be entirely certain of. (p. 166) The idea is to identify facts that are beyond skepticism so that the basis of knowledge can really be determined. Contemporary epistemology has identified with this Cartesian notion, emphasizing the question of the justification of knowledge in the face of skepticism. (Schwartz, p.166) The current epistemological concerns are divergent with the traditional principle fundamentally because they focus on the specific circumstances in which knowledge is acquired and not with how the traditional theory views the justification of belief as independent of the knower or the way such individual acquired it. Many scholars label this as naturalized (or naturalistic) epistemology, a hybrid of traditional and scientific epistemology, which attempts “to bring traditional concerns and ideal theories down to empirical earth by applying them to humans and members of other natural species in ways that take account of their natural development.” (Giere, 1992, p. 208) This development figures prominently in the epistemological theory with regards to how individuals acquire knowledge of themselves and of the world and how science acquires knowledge through others, issues that are also crucial in modern psychology. Acquisition of Knowledge There are several theories about which individuals acquire knowledge. But they can roughly be depicted according to two distinct classifications: A priori knowledge and A posteriori knowledge. Kantian theory explains that a priori knowledge is knowledge that one has independently of all possible sense experience whereas the a posteriori knowledge is only possible through experience or introspection. (Barber and Stainton, 2009, p.11) One of the most popular epistemological arguments about knowledge acquisition was that of John Locke’s. His notion is also known as the realist option or a representative realism. The theory explains that there are external objects with which individuals interact in perception and about which they acquire knowledge, indirect knowledge based on the more direct knowledge of the directly perceived sense-data, which represent and are caused in them by objects in their environment. (Bernecker and Pritchard, 2010, p. 481) Through these explanations about knowledge acquisition, one can understand how individuals can have diverse epistemological assumptions. For example, one can assume that a white flower all over is not black. Or, that a bread is sweet and small. The former is a priori assumption which involves the knowing of truth by merely understanding the content. No experience was necessary because of the given possession of concepts. The latter requires empirical evidence, hence, experience, in order to be valid as truth. This is also important in science. An understanding of the way individuals acquire knowledge is crucial in scientific development and in the way many of its branches work. This is demonstrated in Audi’s (2010) argument that scientific thought has its social dimensions, that besides the existence of scientific community, there are some scientific knowledge that are empirically impossible to achieve without cooperation. (p. 307) A specific scientific discipline that requires epistemology is psychology. Epistemology and Psychology The fundamental link between epistemology and psychology is knowledge. The former is concerned with its definition, validity, limits, sources, and scope while the latter is concerned with cognition, the mind and behavior wherein knowledge is an important variable. To demonstrate this relationship, there is the concept called personal epistemology, an activity that is crucial to many psychological studies. This is a way of knowing or epistemic cognition that is activated as individuals engage in learning and knowing. (Hofer and Pintrich, 2004, p. 3) For instance, when a person sits and interacts in a classroom, he acquires knowledge and an understanding of the world. The epistemological concern is the validity and sources of the knowledge acquired while psychology would be interested with the processes by which knowledge is constructed, evaluated, interpreted and acted upon, among other related psychological processes. Epistemology and psychology can mutually reinforce each other or that each may be a critical component of the other. This is depicted best in developmental psychology, dominated by the ideas of Jean Piaget, wherein cognitive development is the focus. Modern theories of psychology such as the Information Theory and Human Experimental Psychology are also deeply influenced by epistemology because a number of these theories included knowledge constructs into their principles and practices. In these psychological theories, an understanding of self and an individual’s relations to his surroundings are important in the study of the way the individual acts and behaves. Conclusion As has been explained by this paper, epistemology is concerned about the way individuals acquire knowledge about themselves and the world and how science strives to understand this phenomenon for its own scientific investigations and development. These two variables underscored epistemology’s importance to psychology. As a science, one that is concerned with the study of the mind and behavior, epistemology is critical in achieving its objectives. It is not surprising, hence, to find how it has significantly influenced modern psychological theories. References Audi, R. (2010). Epistemology: A Contemporary Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge. New York: Routledge. Barber, A. and Stainton, R. (2009). Concise Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Language and Linguistics. Oxford: Elsevier. Bernecker, S. and Pritchard, D. (2010). The Routledge companion to epistemology. New York: Routledge. Giere, R. (1992). Cognitive models of science. University of Minnesotta Press, Minneapolis. Hofer, B. and Pintrich, P. (2004). Personal epistemology: the psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing. London: Routeldge. Schmitt, F. (2004). "Epistemology and Cognitive Science." In Ilkka Niiniluoto, Matti Sintonen and Jan Wolenski's Handbook of Epistemology. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands. Schwartz, D. (2006). Encyclopedia of knowledge management. London: Idea Group Inc. Read More