Class Notes for 01/14

On Fridays class we discussed the “branches of philosophy”, which are Metaphysics and Epistemology. Metaphysics is the study of existence and Epistemology is the study of knowledge.

Metaphysics is further broken down into four subcategories of study; Cosmology, Teleology, Theology and Ontology. Cosmology, which is the study of the Universe, questions how the Universe came to be. So far an eternal go, is the most justifiable answer because the god has always existed, therefore eliminating the question of “What started it all?” Theology, which is based on Cosmology, is the study of God/religion. Another category, Teleology, studies evidences of design in nature or that human’s act toward some end. The last branch Ontology is the study of existence and most popularly asks “what exists”. The problems with Metaphysics are in arguments about the separation of mind and body and in the use of Universals. Is your mind more than just matter? What makes you you, your thoughts or your body? Universals deal with abstract objects. The example used in class was about desks. Universal attributes of objects are labeled as their “Essence”, “Appearance” and “Accidents”. For a desk its Essence is its flat top, this is required for it to be a desk. Its appearance is just that, how it looks. Accidents are simply the desks properties that can be taken away and it would still be a desk.

Epistemology commonly asks, “How is knowledge justified”, “What are the types of knowledge” and “How do we know anything at all”. Examples of knowledge are knowing how something works and knowing that something works or between knowing without experience and knowing through experience (Apriori vs. A Posteriori). The Gettier problem of justified true beliefs is studied in epistemology. The idea is that in order for someone to have knowledge of something, it must be true, it must be believed to be true and you must be justified in your believing its true, only then can it be real knowledge.

Answers to the how knowledge is structured are: 1) Correspondence, that truth corresponds with the actual state of affairs; 2) Coherence- beliefs must work together; 3) Consensus- beliefs must say the same thing; 4) Authority- belief in the authorities of knowledge; 5) emotions- belief in how you feel.