Epistemology is the part of philosophy that studies knowledge. The word comes from Greek: epistēmē (knowledge) + logos (study).
How do we know what we know?
It deals with questions like:
What counts as true knowledge?
Can we ever be 100% certain about anything?
What’s the difference between believing something and actually knowing it?
Main Ideas in Epistemology
The Definition of Knowledge
The classic idea is: knowledge justified true belief.
You believe it.
It’s true.
You have good reasons (justification) to believe it.
But philosophers argue if this is enough, because sometimes you can believe something true for the wrong reasons.\
Empiricism: knowledge comes from experience and senses (e.g. John Locke, David Hume).
Rationalism: knowledge comes from reason and thinking (e.g. Descartes, Plato).
Skepticism: doubts if we can really know anything for sure.
What does it mean for something to be true?
Correspondence theory: true if it matches reality.
Coherence theory: true if it fits with our other beliefs.
Pragmatic theory: true if it “works” in practice.
Can we know things beyond our senses? (like God, the afterlife, or the universe’s beginning). Or are some things forever unknown?
Plato: thought knowledge was remembering eternal truths (Forms).
Descartes: “I think, therefore I am” tried to find something absolutely certain.
Hume: argued we can’t be sure of cause and effect, only habits of thinking.
Kant: said our minds shape how we see reality, so we never know “the thing in itself.”
Epistemology isn’t just theory; it’s about everyday life:
When you read the news, how do you know what’s true?
When you argue with someone, how do you prove your point?
When it comes to faith, science, or even schoolwork, epistemology is in the background shaping how you think.
So, short version:
Epistemology = the study of knowledge, truth, and how (or if) we can really know anything.