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Attempts Attempt1 score is1.8 Average no score out of 21.8 / 2 1. Introduction to Epistemology - Two Types of Truth Epistemology is the study of knowledge. It is one of the three main branches of philosophy: epistemology (knowledge), metaphysics (reality and being), and ethics (morality and virtue). Within epistemology, philosophers debate the nature of knowledge, the limits of knowledge, the formation and justification of belief, and what it means for a belief to be true. A good starting point for thinking about knowledge is to recognize two distinct types of truth, empirical truth and necessary truth . Empirical Truth Empirical truth is based on experience of the outside world. A statement or proposition is empirically true if it can be known only by experience of the outside world. Knowledge of empirically true statements is often called a posteriori knowledge. The term "a posteriori" is a Latin phrase meaning "from what comes later." The word "empirical" means "having to do with experience." Therefore, empirical truths can be known to be true only when we have experienced and analyzed the world around us. Points: 1 / 1 Empirical truths can be known only on the basis of experience, either our own or someone else's. Sometimes, for practical reasons, it makes sense to rely on the experiences of other people. For example, you may not have the skill or equipment needed for you yourself actually to view other galaxies besides the Milky Way, but you might rely on the documented experience of scientists who have done so to form your opinion on whether those other galaxies exist. Consider the sentence "Penguins live in Antarctica," which makes a factual claim about a region. To determine whether the sentence is true, you or someone else would have to go to the Antarctic and look for penguins; finding them would make the sentence empirically true. Even if they are found, however, you can conceive that things might have been different, that penguins might have lived elsewhere or even nowhere. Empirical truths are always contingent truths: they happen to be true, but they might not have been. Necessary Truth

A necessary truth can be known through reason alone, apart from experience. Moreover, a necessary truth cannot be false. Knowledge of necessarily true statements is often called a priori knowledge. The term "a priori" is a Latin phrase meaning "from the earlier." In the case of a statement of necessary truth, we cannot even make sense of the idea that it might be false. For example, "7 + 5 = 12" is a necessary truth because it is true by definition and cannot be false. The quantity 7 added to the quantity 5 will always result in the quantity 12, regardless of what the numbers refer to. Moreover, it is possible to know that "7 + 5 = 12" through reason alone. Examples Determine whether each of the following statements is an empirically true statement or a necessarily true statement. Statement Type 12 times 3 equals 36. Necessarily true All daughters are female. Necessarily true There are fifty states in the United States of America. Empirically true Tallahassee is the capitol of Florida. Empirically true All bachelors are unmarried males. Necessarily true 2. Rationalism (Innate Ideas) versus Empiricism (Tabula Rasa) In order to begin to understand the source of your knowledge, it is important to understand the two dominant schools of thought on the subject. These important schools of thought are known as rationalism and empiricism .

Rationalism Rationalism is the view that knowledge can be obtained by the use of reason alone, without the aid of the senses. Rationalists argue that the use of reason can produce necessary, undeniable, and certain truths. Although rationalists do not believe that the use of reason always leads to such truths (since people sometimes reason incorrectly), they do believe that the use of reason is the only way to attain knowledge of those truths. Rationalists do not reject sensory experience altogether, but they do not believe it can lead to true (or certain) knowledge. Rationalists generally believe that there are innate ideas that are not derived from experience. In addition, rationalists believe that it is possible to obtain knowledge of necessary truths (also called a priori truths) by using reason to derive further knowledge from the relationship between these innate ideas. For example, a rationalist might hold that certain mathematical principles or axioms are innate ideas and that it is possible to derive further mathematical knowledge from these axioms. Rationalists differ in their opinions of how we acquire these innate ideas. Some philosophers such as René Descartes (1596–1650) believe these ideas were implanted in us by God, while others, such as Plato (424/423–348/347 BCE), believe we are born with certain innate ideas. According to the rationalist viewpoint, what is the distinguishing characteristic of innate ideas? Innate ideas originate in the mind and can be known through reason alone. Innate ideas can be obtained only by the collective understanding of a community of thinkers. It is impossible to know innate ideas with certainty. Innate ideas can be known only through sensory experience of the external world. Points: 1 / 1 Empiricism Empiricists reject the view that there are innate ideas. Instead, empiricists believe that all ideas are the result of experience. Empiricism is the view that true knowledge can be attained only through the senses. Empiricists argue that our sight, hearing, smell, and other senses tell us what really exists and what facts are true. Empiricists do believe in reason, of course, but they do not agree that reason alone can lead to true knowledge. For example, you know that water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, that the Earth moves around the sun, and that your kitchen stove will burn you if you touch it. An empiricist would claim that you know these facts only from information you've gained from experience. The philosopher John Locke (1632–1704) was an empiricist who rejected the notion of innate ideas in favor of the view that all ideas are generated through experience. According to Locke, the only justification rationalists have for their belief in innate ideas is the notion of "universal consent," or the

idea that certain ideas must be innate because people everywhere have those ideas. Locke criticized this argument on the basis that there are absolutely no ideas that every human being is aware of. For example, children or those who are mentally ill may not have any ideas in common with other people. In addition, according to Locke, even if a proposition is held universally by all people, the universality of consent may have origins other than an innate disposition to believe that proposition. Finally, it is also possible that each human being is so unique that his or her thoughts will not be shared by other people. Locke also introduced the notion of a "blank slate," or tabula rasa . According to this theory, at birth, prior to having any sensory experience, the mind begins like a blank slate, containing no ideas, thoughts, or emotions. Then as you experience sensory perceptions over time, the blank slate is filled with knowledge that can come only from experience. According to Locke, what does the tabula rasa , or "blank slate," represent? The mind's ability to gain knowledge through reason alone The blank human mind prior to having any sensory experience The human mind possessing innate ideas A physical chalkboard with no writing on it Points: 1 / 1 In the image, what experiential data are being written on the baby's tabula rasa ? A hand holding a pencil The baby's mind or mental state

A pad of paper A block with colors and letters on it Points: 1 / 1 Close Explanation Explanation: The rationalist viewpoint depends on the concept of innate ideas, which are based on the methods and laws developed by reason alone. Empiricists reject the rationalist viewpoint in two ways. First, empiricists believe that knowledge is based on sensation and experience rather than pure reason. Second, empiricists reject the very notion of innate ideas. Locke presented an alternative view of how we gain knowledge—the tabula rasa . The tabula rasa , or "blank slate," represents the blank human mind prior to having any experiences. According to Locke, experience (such as the experience of viewing a colored block) is the only thing that can fill the blank slate because experience is the source of all knowledge. 3. Plato - The Meno Thought Experiment The "Meno" Dialog Plato's dialog "Meno" recounts a conversation between Socrates and Meno , a visiting political figure from Thessaly. The dialog is centered on the issue of whether virtue can be taught. In the course of the dialog, Plato requests to engage one of Meno's slaves in a mathematical thought experiment designed to demonstrate Socrates's view that knowledge is innate, a matter of recollection of the soul's prior knowledge. The experiment is designed to show that the slave, who Meno admits has no knowledge of mathematics, can reach correct mathematical conclusions without being taught, solely through Socratic questioning. The Meno Thought Experiment The following questions will replicate the thought experiment Socrates offers to Meno's slave in the course of the "Meno" dialog. Complete the following series of questions in order:

Assume figure 1 is a square with sides of length two feet. This would give the figure an area of four square feet . Now suppose you wanted to create a new square with exactly twice the area of the square in figure 1 . Points: 1 / 1 If you doubled the length of each side of the square from figure 1, would this create a square with exactly twice the area? Figure 2 has more than twice the area of figure 1, 16 square feet, which is too big . Points: 1 / 1

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