PH29A Epistemology and Methodology

Schedule

The following is a tentative schedule of topics for our lecture/discussion sessions.   Links take you to some notes or other material relevant to the session.

[P stands for Pojman, What Can We Know?]

  1. Introduction: Epistemology in the history of philosophy. [P ch. 1]

    2. Assume two major sources of knowledge - experience and reasoning. What is going on when these give us knowledge? How far do they take us? Can we defend them against sceptical doubt? Demarcation issues, including exclusion by ignoring (Gellner)

  2. Classical scepticism [P. ch. 3]
  3. Cartesian and later scepticism [P. chs. 2, 14]

    4. Other minds

  4. Issues from Descartes: knowledge and certainty; fallibilism; egocentric/sociocentric
  5. The logic of know and related concepts: belief; truth; assertion; …. [P. chs. 5-9]

    6. Internal/external accounts of knowledge

    Foundations versus coherence

  6. Contrasts: a priori/a posteriori;  knowledge/opinion; acquaintance/description

    7. Quinean holism  [P. chs. 4, 10, 12]

  7. Non-deductive inference

    8. Hume’s argument on induction; Goodman on grue; Hypothetico-deductive approach

  8. Is scientific method a myth?

    9. Laudan vs the Popperians in BJPS

  9. Varieties of knowledge: unity/plurality; "forms of knowledge"

    10. nomothetic/idiographic; Suppes on disunity of science; Hirst and Mackenzie on distinguishing marks of disciplines

  10. Confirmation and the paradox of confirmation
  11. Testimony. Hume on miracles. [P. ch. 13]
  12. Is race, gender, class relevant?
  13. Revision
    14.

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Ed Brandon, last revision 20 November 2001