epistemology

Advancedzipf 2.89

Pronunciation

/ɪˌpɪstɪˈmɒlədʒi/(ih-pis-tih-MOL-uh-jee)

Part of speech

nounformal/philosophy

Chinese

认识论（关于知识本质与范围的研究）

Definition

The branch of philosophy concerned with the nature, sources, and limits of knowledge — how we know what we know.

Word family

  • epistemological/ɪˌpɪstɪməˈlɒdʒɪkəl/(adj)认识论的
  • epistemologically/ɪˌpɪstɪməˈlɒdʒɪkli/(adv)从认识论角度
  • epistemologist/ɪˌpɪstɪˈmɒlədʒɪst/(n)认识论学者

Collocations

  • epistemological crisis
  • epistemological humility
  • epistemological framework
  • social epistemology

Examples

  1. 1.The spread of misinformation has created an epistemological crisis — people can't agree on what counts as evidence. (knowledge crisis)
  2. 2.Kant's epistemology argues that the mind actively structures experience rather than passively receiving it. (theory of knowledge)

Synonyms

  • (no direct synonym — epistemology is the standard philosophical term for the study of knowledge)

Etymology

from Greek "episteme" (knowledge, science) + "logos" (study) — the study of knowledge itself