Epistemology (358-0-20)

Instructors

Sanford C Goldberg
847/491-8524
Kresge 3-431

Meeting Info

Parkes Hall 223: Mon, Wed 3:30PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

In this class we will explore traditional topics in the theory of knowledge - skepticism, the nature of (and prospects for) knowledge and rational belief, the sources of knowledge - from a variety of perspectives, and we will conclude by exploring what, if anything, we can know (and do) about the limits of our knowledge.

Learning Objectives

In this course the successful student (1) will understand why knowledge has attracted philosophers' attention for millennia, (2) will critically engage with leading philosophers' views on some of the perennial questions in the theory of knowledge, and (3) will be able to articulate and defend their own position on at least two of the questions we pose this quarter about such things as the nature and sources of knowledge, and the prospects for attaining knowledge (including knowledge of our intellectual limits).

Class Materials (Required)

Class materials must be purchased.

The Blackwell Guide to Epistemology, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781405164863 Knowledge: A Very Short Introduction, https://academic.oup.com/book/461 Knowing Our Limits, https://global.oup.com/academic/product/knowing-our-limits-9780190847289?cc=us&lang=en&#

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration for Philosophy and Science in Human Culture Majors and Minors