Epistomology in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

As a committed nerd, I've devoted myself to thoughtful consideration of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I've found that Joss Whedon, the show's creator, has brought an unprecedented depth and reflection to the otherwise mirthful story of a teenage girl who hunts and slays vamps and demons with the help of her closest friends.

Whedon raises philosophical issues from the very first episode. When Buffy is told that, not only do vampires and demons exist, but it is her destiny to hunt and kill them, she is forced to go through the paces of epistomological development from the very beginning. Everything she thought she knew is thrown into question by the revelation of these beasties and her destiny, and she must ask herself many of the questions raised by epistomologists. Can she justify the belief that vampires are not real? Can she find a way to justify the belief that they are? She's never seen a vampire, but she does find that she has extraordinary strength. Does this validate the supposed authority of Rupert Giles and the Watchers' Council? If one of his assertions was true, does that mean they are all true? Even if the things he says are true, what are the limits of Giles' knowledge?

In answering these questions, Buffy must change some of the most basic assumptions her reality is based on. Eventually, Buffy faces what seems to be overwhelming evidence of the existence of vampires. Most convincingly, she fights one, giving her a posteriori knowledge, or knowledge through experience. However, she must figure out some way to make this new knowledge cohere with her previous assumptions about reality. She must explore the nature of knowledge and what she thinks she knows in order to integrate her previous knowledge with her new knowledge. The series reflects the difficulty of this task, by continuing to pose these questions to Buffy throughout the show's eight seasons. As in life, Buffy can't know for sure what she knows and what she doesn't, and is constantly torn between practicalities and the search for truth.