Epistemology: knowledge and belief

In short: Epistemology asks what knowledge is and how we obtain it. Classically, knowledge counts as true, justified belief.

In more detail: Rationalists (Descartes) emphasise reason, empiricists (Locke, Hume) experience; Kant combined both.

In detail

• Knowledge vs. opinion: Knowledge needs truth and good reasons.
• Scepticism: Can we be sure the external world exists? (“I think, therefore I am”.)
• Sources: Perception, reason, testimony of others, memory.
• Scientific method: Testing and refuting hypotheses (Popper).
• Gettier problems: Justified true beliefs that are nevertheless only accidentally true.
• Sources of error: Perceptual illusions and reasoning errors (kognitive-verzerrungen).
• Practice: Check sources, weigh evidence, admit uncertainty (trugschluesse-erkennen).