What Is Epistemology?
Epistemology is the study
of how a person obtains knowledge and
how a person assesses and learns from that knowledge.[1] Epistemology addresses the question of, “How do you know what you know?” For example, the Apostle Paul in 1
Corinthians chapter 1 verse 22 discusses that the Jews identify signs as ways of getting at knowledge
and the Greeks get at knowledge through wisdom,
logic that is. Each person’s
epistemological framework can be thought of as a knowledge system that gathers data
from one source or a plethora of sources.
In other words, each and every one of us derives knowledge from
somewhere, such as: authority,[2]
pragmatism,[3] conventional wisdom,[4]
observation,[5] senses,[6]
logic,[7]
empiricism,[8] revelation,[9]
etc… The knowledge that we gather
answers questions of truth.[10]
Now, keep in mind that people’s epistemologies are
often undiagnosed. The gathering and
formation of knowledge often happens subconsciously. Even though the working of a person’s
epistemology happens intuitively, it does impact each and every one of us.[11] The knowledge system forms and influences how
a person views the world and reality.[12] Simply put, a person’s
epistemology supplies data and truth (i.e.
knowledge) to one’s worldview.
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[1] The two
parts of the word Epistemology are episteme
and ology. Episteme means
"knowledge and understanding"
and ology means, "study of."
[2]
I.g. How do I know? Because Albert Einstein told me.
[3] I.g. How
do I know? Because I welded it up that way in my
shop, tried it out in the field, and it has never failed me since.
[4] I.g. How do I know? Because nearly everyone in my community
thinks so.
[5] I.g. How do I know? Because I was there and saw it for
myself.
[6] I.g. How do I know? Because I touched it, and it felt hot,
and it smelled as if something were burning.
[7] I.g. How do I know? Because, since A was greater than B,
and B was greater than C, I concluded that A was greater than C.
[8] I.g. How do I know? Because many studies that used very
large samples of the total population of people who have this disease confirm a
high statistical correlation between salt intake and the aggravation of this
disease.
[9] I.g. How do I know? For the Bible tells me so; or, Thus
saith the Lord.
[10] Truth is often seen as an abstract item that is drifting around in time
and space that mankind stretches out to acquire, understand and harness.
However, as Christians we would funnel truth down to not an abstract ideology
or philosophy but rather a person, Christ. Jesus in
John 14:6 states, “I am the way and the
truth and the life…” Jesus says that He is truth. Furthermore, Christ not only applies the
truth to himself but also uses a definite article to essentially say, “I
am not ‘a’ way, ‘a’ truth…” but rather “I am ‘the’ way , ‘the’
truth…” Andrea Köstenberger in the first chapter of the
book, “Whatever Happened To Truth?” (Crossway, 2005) argues that truth is a person, a crucified person,
rather than some abstract ideology. In other words, truth is theocentric
and Christocentric. One could even go so far as to say that truth is
crucicentric. The idea of truth is found in the Words and actions of God
as they are expressed in the Bible and fleshed out in the life, death and resurrection
of Christ. Therefore,
truth is not only something that is theocentric but more specifically is
Christo-centric; it is revealed by God to us in Christ in His Word
[11] T.R. Halvorson (Personal Communication, July
27th of 2012), “Although
most people have never heard of epistemology, everyone has an epistemology that
usually combines several sources of knowledge or bases of knowledge, sometimes
using them sort of mashed together, and other times alternating between them.
This is a lack of epistemological self-consciousness: having an epistemology,
but not being conscious of what it is; deciding whether I know something, but
not being conscious of how I made that decision. We could call this implicit or
unself-conscious epistemology, as opposed to explicit epistemology.”
[12] According
to Paul Hiebert on page 85 of his book, “Transforming
Worldviews,” a person’s epistemology or knowledge system is embedded in
worldviews.
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