The Nature of KnowledgeKnowledge as justified true belief

The definition of knowledge

Knowledge as justified true belief

3 elements

1. Truth 2. Belief 3. Justified

Truth

The most obvious thing that distinguishes knowledge from belief is truth

If you know something, then what you claim to know must be true

If you believe it, then it may be true or false This is why you cannot know that pigs have

wings, or that Rome is the capital of France Truth is independent of what anyone happens to

believe is true, and believing something to be true doesn’t make it true

When we say something is true we usually mean it is ‘beyond reasonable doubt’

Belief

Truth is an objective requirement for knowledge

Belief is the subjective requirement for it

Knowledge and belief can be thought of in terms of a continuum with unjustified beliefs at one end of the continuum, beliefs for which there is some evidence in the middle, and beliefs which are ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ at the other end

Belief – knowledge continuum

-10 -5 0 +5 +10Impossible Unlikely Possible Probable

Certain

BELIEFKNOWLEDGE

3 examples of various kinds of belief

A vague belief – I may vaguely believe that eating tomatoes helps to reduce the risk of heart disease, but have no idea where I came across this idea and readily abandon it in the light of counter-evidence

A well supported belief – I may believe that Smith killed Jones, and be able to give evidence for my belief, but still be unwilling to say that I know that this is the case

A belief that is beyond is reasonable doubt – I may find the evidence which supports the claim that the Americans landed on the moon in 1969 so convincing and the counter-evidence of conspiracy theorists so flimsy that I am willing to say that I know the Americans landed on the moon

And the point is?

The important thing is to try to develop as reasonable and well-supported a set of beliefs as possible

Where on the belief knowledge continuum would you put the following propositions

P26 lagemaat - Read out and students to place a post it arrow on continuum - Discuss

Justification

In order to be able to say that you know something you must be able to justify your belief

We usually justify our knowledge claims by appealing to one of the 4 ways of knowing

1. Someone told me (language) 2. I saw it (perception) 3. I worked it out (reason) 4. Its intuitively obvious (emotion)

However there is a difference between reliable justification and unreliable justification

Consider the following – Chewbacca defence

Levels of Knowledge There is more we can say about knowledge than

simply that it is justified true belief.

For a start there are different levels of knowledge. You may have a basic grasp, a good understanding or a complete mastery over a subject.

Knowledge and information

Drilling random facts into someone’s mind may be good for quiz shows but it does not lead to genuine understanding

Genuine knowledge of a subject is gained from an understanding of how different strands of information come together to form a meaningful whole

Using an analogy – Information is to knowledge as bricks are to a building. While you cannot have a building without bricks, a building is more than just a heap of bricks. In the same way – You cannot have knowledge without information but knowledge is more than just a heap of information

Second-hand knowledge

Isaac Newton (1642-1727) once remarked ‘If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants’ – Discuss

Our ability to communicate with each other means we are able to pass on our beliefs and practices from one generation to the next in the form of culture

Second-hand knowledge is known as knowledge by authority and is acquired through

cultural tradition School Internet Expert opinion News media

Cultural Tradition

The culture we grow up in has a strong influence on the way we see the world

We have a natural attachment to our own beliefs and practices

Letters from an Indian Judge to an English Gentlewoman – carry out activities

School

Schools [play a key role in the transmission of knowledge

14,000 hours of school gives you not only mastery of subject areas but provides lessons for life

Education v Indoctrination What is the difference between

education and indoctrination – what problems arise as a result?

Discuss the following youtube clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_znfn0GJe0&feature=PlayList&p=A2ED994E3CA7F3EA&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=10

Internet

The internet provides information in a fast and accessible way

However…

Be careful of ‘urban legends’

Read and discuss Brecht’s Galileo

P42-44 Theory of knowledge Richard van de Lagemaat

Conclusion

Knowledge is defined as justified true belief The difference between knowledge and belief is one of

degree rather than kind Knowledge consists of more than just jumbled isolated

facts Its various parts are related to one another in a

systematic way – think of the way a text book is organised

Detail and context provides a deeper understanding of an area of knowledge

Knowledge comes to us second-hand on the authority of other people

Despite obvious benefits we need to be use our judgement in determining what or who to believe

TruthCan we ever be certain of the truth?

BeliefWhere does belief end and knowledge begin?

InformationWhat is the difference between knowledge and information?

ContextDoes knowledge depend on context?

AuthorityTo what extent should we accept knowledge by authority?

JustificationWhat distinguishes a good justification from a bad one?

The Nature of Knowledge

Linking Questions