Analytic Epistemology

This clip discusses some of the schools of thought in contemporary analytic epistemology.

First, the clip mentions Bertrand Russells dislike for the standard notion of what constitutes "knowledge" in philosophy, believing it to be to much too vague. Then there is a brief summary of G.E. Moore's "Proof of an External World" and his views on foundationalism.

The clip then mentions Ludwig Wittgenstein's idea that "meaning is use" within social contexts, and that philosophical obstacles are really just miscommunication within "language games." Simply put, Wittgenstein thought that there were no such things as genuine philosophical problems, and that philosophy was merely a byproduct of linguistic misunderstandings.

The clip then discusses the differences between foundationalism and coherentism and W.V.O. Quine's notion of the seamless "web of belief." Quine was a strong proponent of the natural sciences, and thought that findings in the natural sciences could shed significant light onto age-old philosophical questions concerning the nature of the mind and knowledge.

The clip then summarizes "The Gettier Problem" which challenged the Platonic definition of knowledge as "justified true belief," and then ends with definitions of internalism/externalism, and Alvin Goldman's causal theory of knowledge.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Analytic Epistemology
• Bertrand Russell
• G.E. Moore
• Ludwig Wittgenstein
• Coherentism
• Foundationalism
• Gettier Problem

[BandofSorensons]

When are Bertrand Russell, Moore, Quine, Ayer, at al going to stop being associated with "contemporary philosophy"? How many decades/centuries have to transpire before this is just historical philosophy like all the other philosophy worth reading? (These guys indeed ARE worth reading...I just think its funny that we often reflexively say that they are 'contemporary')

[bigbaddeerhunter]

man you guys are crazy. I can see my both my hands.

[CNETZebur]

@Drgamedood Why is resurrecting theism a good thing?

[Ewochable]

@BandofSorensons It is still easy to trace their influence, and many of their ideas continue to resurface in new publications. They are not considered contemporary, but they are still very close to us and have shaped our way of thinking about problems and our perception of the very subject of philosophy. I LOVE THEM LIKE A MOTHER LOVES BEER.

[Drgamedood]

@BandofSorensons I guess the maker of these documentaries are stuck in the past. They really should be more focused on philosophers like Alvin Plantinga. Who single-handedly resurrected theism from the grave logical positivism put it in, and gave it credibility with "reformed epistemology".

[meeene4]

Any more of these videos on youtube? I like these narrations.

[mikeyab88]

@eevil123 This is not a new phenomenon. The "humanities" came into being during the Renaissance, represented as a revival of the "classic" works. They were just as esoteric then to the general public as these vague philosophical terms are to us. I don't think calling it "pseudo-intellect and the abandonment of logic" is fair. You have to keep in mind that this is a video for the general public, like a tv show, and thus can only really summarize ideas without delving in too deeply.

[danielvlee]

@eevil123 Wittgenstein considered philosophy to be nonsense, so to speak. But I think you're referring to an adolescent "philosophising", or 'games of thinking' as Piaget called them, which are largely derived from the Sceptical school of postmodern thought that questions (or contradicts) every question reflexively. It's this paradigm that G.E. Moore addressed in his 'Here is a hand' proof. Criticism of logic and reason as academic activities exist in the Cultural Marxist areas of academia.

[Sewblon]

@RaiderJoe76 I agree with you that the man's failure was not in his knowledge, but rather in his expression of his knowledge. 

[Contextcatcher]

The ultimate interpretator is like a predator: hunting for final meaning.

"For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD". Jer 39:18

Final meaning should capture a shape that doesn't transform anymore: but prey enters the final metabolsime. Nietzsche saw parallels between body and consciousness. Memory as stomach: the necessary proces of knowing and forgetting.

[Contextcatcher]

Russells remark about humans and animals is fine. Philosopher typical addiction is to reason, but seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and touching are sources for knowledge. Pulses of nature are commands for man's cultural order. Memory is important. What will be remembered is different for every being. Instinct or intuition (emotions) is crucial. Language is a regulator for transmitting our memories. Words can close and open associations: they are pins tagging our minds. Knowledge can haunt you.

[RaiderJoe76]

Isn't his belief that the "person with ten coins" will get the job false, though, because in his mind isn't "the person with ten coins" the woman? It's not simply that we was mistaken about her getting the job or being ignorant of the fact that he had ten coins himself; rather, in his mind, when he thought of "the person with ten coins", he was referring to the woman. In other words, "the person with ten coins" was a DESCRIPTION of the woman...