Phil 422 Epistemology

Nathan Rockwood

This course aims to answer the questions “What is knowledge?” and “What kind of evidence (if any) is needed for a belief to be rational?” We will look at classic views in the history of philosophy such as Plato on the definition of knowledge, Aristotle on the foundation of knowledge, and Descartes, Locke, and Hume on skeptical doubts. We will also look at contemporary debates such as the Gettier Problem and responses to it, the debates concerning the nature of justification, and religious epistemology. The goal is to see the historical trajectory and motivations that led to the prominent theories in contemporary epistemology, and to evaluate the major views concerning the nature and structure of knowledge.