Fartun Issaq

Jeffery Wood

Philosophy 1000

April 21,2017

Problem With Knowledge

The word epistemology has not been a new word. It is one of the branch of philosophy

that concerns with the nature and scope of knowledge. It relates to truth, beliefs and justification

It has been relativity around since nineteenth-century. Epistemology has been known as problem

of knowledge .It has been seen in the earliest philosophical work and it has been identified for

centuries- by the Presocrates, Plato and Aristotle.

Aristotle modified his teachers, Platos theory of form and ideas. Aristotle has argued

that all things were the combination of form and matter, how real physical thing can or becoming

to their being state. In his metaphysics theory, Aristotle dealt with the problem of knowledge .

The definition of knowledge is facts, information and skill that is acquired by a person

through experience and the second definition is awareness or familiarity gained by experience of

fact or situation .philosopher have been studying known for a long time. It one of the everlasting

topic. Philosophy is very hard in science it intents to evaluate the reason.but philosophy tends to

go in deep with knowledge.

The Tripartite Theory of Knowledge goes back as far as Plato. It holds three conditions

that must be satisfied in order for one to possess knowledge, analyses knowledge justified a true

belief. It very hard to define when asked how you know what you know.The definition

becomes tough and philosopher have been attempting to construct it over centuries. Over the

years the definition has taken a turn and it has develop in philosophical literature. The definition

for knowledge has taken three condition. Philosopher say that if a person meets three condition:
if they believes it must be true. The statement is in fact true and person is justified in believing

the statement to be true. The definition is arguable to some philosophers. Beliefs are things

people have and they are in you head and generally viewed as just the way one thinks of the

world. some philosophers say that truth is not in your head but it out there. Justification is seen

as how won is compiled in the truth. It is sometimes easier to describe when a belief is not

justified and philosophers agree.

The importance of the problem of knowledge is general because philosophy has firmly

established it . Kantianism is the system of thought and it contains in writing by Immanuel Kant.

Philosophers have been inspired from his principals. For example, a publication was done by

Edmund Gettier, he had a famous paper that was published in 1963 that started an argument and

arouse challenges. Gettier defined knowledge and stated the problem by saying that all

epistemologists- fails to be knowledge.

His article had dramatic impact to most epistemologist. And began trying to use

traditional definition of knowledge. They attempt manys way to repair or replace the traditional

definition of knowledge and resulting its in several new conception of knowledge. Gettier

sparked a period of pronounced epistemological energy and innovation by two-and-half page

article. He attempt to define knowledge of truth or fact and he succeeded.. And the forces of that

challenge continues, sometimes it is ignored in frustration at the existence of so many possibly

failed efforts to solve it.

Gettier case were meant to challenge our understanding of propositional knowledge, it is

knowledge of truth or fact. Usually when epistemologist talk of knowledge they referring to

propositional knowledge. According to Gettier, It is a kind of knowledge which one assign to

themselves routinely. It is philosophically important to ask what, more fully such as knowledge,
if an individually doesnt fully understand what it is a and they wont understand themselves.

Gettier challenge it was different, epistemologists would have reply in some or more detailed to

Gettier's article . He described a cases one being, It contains a belief which is true and justified

but it is not knowledge. And if that is an accurate thing of the case. Justified-truth belief is

false . The case that established that combination of truth,belief and justification does not entail

the presence. A belief being true and justified can not be sufficient for it being knowledge.

Philosophers have attempted to solve to find a solution for the Gettier problem with

theses solution: some Philosophers decide to keep the traditional definition of knowledge and

just show that the Gettier counterexamples that it doesnt qualify as real justification for belief.

Some held to the traditional definition of knowledge but have add a fourth condition to

knowledge. Some have said that a new definition of knowledge is needed that replaces

justification.

The Gettier problem have gotten some reaction to most long standing epistemological

theory. Plato justified true belief on the premise and Eduman Gettier felt that this was not

necessarily the case, because he helt that justified true belief was not a matter of direct

knowledge, but only a justification of a belief presupposition. Plato outlines does not necessarily

be a part of a formal consequence of the process. Gettier arguing that presupposition is not

grounds for knowledge.

People have been uncomfortable with the idea that there is no universal knowledge. Rene

Descartes was one of the people who believe that. He started to question that what he was taught

was either false or questionable. He then decide to tackle the problem, he went in his cabin and

decide to get to the bottom of it. Descartes founded himself nowhere to turn. He looked at

mathematics and reasoned that there is an evil genius. That is supremely powerful and clever.
He found that he could be skeptical about everything and was unable to find a certain foundation

for knowledge. But then he hit upon something that changed modern epistemology.

According to Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,there is a central problem in the

epistemology of perception how explaining perception could give us knowledge or justified

belief an external world. It says the question how our perceptual beliefs are justified or known

can be approached first considering the question of whether they are justified or known. It points

out that the problem of external world should not be included to the problem of knowledge,

because in knowledge individual uses perception.

Overall, Information Epistemology avoid the traditional identification of knowledge.

Philosophers have stated human knowledge is information and stored in the mind which forms

human thoughts and action. Most Philosophers dealt with or tried to figure out the problem of

knowledge.

Reference:

Pardi, P. (2011, September 22). What is Knowledge? Retrieved April 29, 2017, from
http://www.philosophynews.com/post/2011/09/22/What-is-Knowledge.aspx

History of the Problem of Knowledge. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2017, from
http://www.informationphilosopher.com/knowledge/history/

Vleeschauwer, H. %. (2015, January 23). Kantianism. Retrieved April 29, 2017, from
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kantianism#ref393614
Hetherington, S. (n.d.). Gettier Problems. Retrieved April 29, 2017, from
http://www.iep.utm.edu/gettier/

B. (n.d.). The Gettier Problem. Retrieved April 29, 2017, from

https://brainmass.com/philosophy/justified-true-belief/the-gettier-problem-200536

Theory of Knowledge. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2017, from

http://www.theoryofknowledge.info/what-is-knowledge/the-tripartite-theory-of-knowledge/

Lyons, J. (2016, December 05). Epistemological Problems of Perception. Retrieved April 29,
2017, from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/perception-episprob/#ProbExteWorl

(n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2017, from

http://www.informationphilosopher.com/knowledge/problem/