EPISTEMOLOGY NARRATIVE REPORT

By Abigail F. Granada, RN, MAN

Epistemology is the philosophical study if the nature of human knowledge (Britannica

dictionary, 2020) accumulated from the various assumption and construction of body of
knowledge. It is mostly influenced by the person’s perspectives and interpretations of
things that in some aspect it can infer explanations and deep understanding of the
ideas. It is often rooted on inquiry of concepts in which the individual develop their own
understanding of the philosophy.

Knowledge of the External World

It pertains of the different human perspectives considering his experiences as the basis
of what is known to the world. Philosophers contended that the human sense of
experience may justify one’s belief if only one can provide a basis of awareness or
explanation on that subject matter.

Question: Does the human reasoning be justified?

The Othermind-Problem

Every person has different sensation. One can not tell if he/she understand the sense of
experience of the other person because the latter could have a different association of
that experience.

Being Qua Being

Aristotle defined the being qua being into 3 terms.

1. A study
2. A subject matter (being)
3. Manner in which the subject matter is studied (qua being)
Aristotle conceptualized the “being qua being” as the study of being. His contentions of
studying metaphysics) had led him to understand the being qua being

Aristotle derives and inquires the subject between science of concept of being and the
science of being

In the concept of science:

Being is mobile
Being is quantitative
Being as a living
Being as economic
Being as a celestial

Andrew Marvell quoted, “At our back we always hear/Being’s winged chariot circling
near”.

It interpreted as the Being as part of the person’s whole, foreshadowing us. Being is at
work in serendipity way and it gives us the focus to understand the world. Being shows
us different perspectives. It raises issues of identity of being.

According to Wippel (Doolan, G., 2012), Being is a substance that we can conform the
truth which can be applied in any forms. Each forms has its own principles and acts of
existence.

Being is the subject of metaphysics, a general approach whether to transcend or

separate on finite form of being. Plato’s conception of being represent two bodies as
they are differentiate in forms and particulars. In one sense, forms represent as
paradigmatic particulars in which on the same property, beauty is embodied in being.
Forms are definable, essence is not the grounded of particulars (Allan Silverman, 2014)
Criticism

Aristotle concerned with the differences of principles and approaches of knowledge

(ancient and modern) which matters in epistemology. There are wide range of
presupposition about the nature of knowledge (Popkin, H., 2020)

Aristotle’s approach (empiricist) vs. Plato’ approach (rationalism); their conception of

forms differs one another. Plato focuses on the external universal encapsulated with
mathematics, whereas Aristotle stands for the contingent finite substance of life science

Problems of Truth Skepticism

- How the one’s perception provides a ground of knowledge? How to justify one’
belief of external world?
- Skepticism accentuate the nature of epistemological difficulties in a way a person
would understand and justify the knowledge of epistemology and its association
to skepticism.

2 Skeptical arguments:

1. Metaphysical response that highlights the nature of the external world, human
experience and its relationships in an attempt to convey the possibility of perceptual
knowledge.

2. Understanding the principles of epistemological response which is required for

synthesis of knowledge (to show the skepticism).

Rationalism

Rationalism is drawn to the human’s sense of experiences that permits oneself to

acquire knowledge of external matter. Concepts and knowledge are acquired
independently through the sense of experience but it depends on the person’ reflective
and intuitive awareness of things.
These concepts and knowledge can unveil information that sense of experience can
provide. It develops reasoning of other forms that gives additional information of the
external things (Peter Markie, 2021)

The notion of rationalism depends on the proponents’ understanding the concepts of

association between intuition and truth

Related theses:

The sense of experience can not be gained from us which is innate in nature
(knowledge, intuition, ideas, instances) (The Indespensability of Reasons Thesis)

The knowledge we have by intuition and deductions is superior. To any knowledge

gained by experience (The superiority of reason thesis)

Descartes, quoted “knowledge by intuition is unequivocal, but our belief gained for our
sense of experience is uncertain”

Plato, quoted” the superiority of pre-knowledge from known subjects. The platonic form
dictates that our discernment from reasons is metaphysically superior (Peter Markie,
2021)
References:

Doolan, G. (2012). The Science of Being as Being. Washington, DC: The catholic
University of America Press.
Popkin, R. H. (2020). Britannica. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/topic/skepticism:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/skepticism
Seidel, M. (2014). Epistemic Relativism. 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010:
Palgrave Macmillan.
Markie, Peter and M. Folescu, "Rationalism vs. Empiricism", The Stanford Encyclopedia
of Philosophy (Fall 2021 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =
<https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2021/entries/rationalism-empiricism/>
Stroll, Avrum and Martinich, A.P.. "epistemology". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Feb.
2021, https://www.britannica.com/topic/epistemology. Accessed 26 October 2021.
Silverman, Allan, "Plato's Middle Period Metaphysics and Epistemology", The Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2014 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =
<https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2014/entries/plato-metaphysics/>.