Epistemology, By Robert Nozick

As humans we are constantly in search of understanding the balance between what feels good and what is right. Humans try to take full advantage of experiencing pleasure to its fullest potential. Hedonism claims that pleasure is the highest and only source of essential significance. If the notion of hedonism is truthful, happiness is directly correlated with pleasure. Robert Nozick presented the philosophical world with his though experiment, “The Experience Machine” in order to dispute the existence and validity of hedonism. Nozick’s thought experiment poses the question of whether or not humans would plug into a machine which produces any desired experience. Nozick weakens the notion of hedonism through his thought experiment, claiming

I think that Simon Pokagon wrote this because he wanted his race to be remembered and talked about, and to tell people how he viewed their history. Do I think that he was bias toward the Indian race, yes, I do think that some of the things he wrote were not true. Such as, when he talks about how white men came to America and just starting killing the Native Americans. I do not think they would just kill the Indians, I think that the Indians had to have done something to these white people to make them attack. I do think that most of it is true, but also opinionated as well. Pokagon is just scared that his people, the Native Americans, would die out completely because of the mixture of races. He is scared that future people will not even know

The fascination with consciousness dates back to the time of Plato and Descartes. Since those times the term “consciousness” has spurned controversy in many scientific fields, including the fields of biology, psychology, and neuroscience. However, with the recent advancements in brain imaging technologies, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG), human consciousness has shifted from being a subjective, abstract idea into being a observable scientific phenomenon. As neuroimaging capabilities progress, the public interest in consciousness also grows.

Epistemology or theory of knowledge is a branch of philosophy related to the scope and nature of knowledge. The subject focuses on examining the nature of knowledge, and how it relates to beliefs, justification, and truth. Epistemology contract with the means of production of knowledge, as well as skepticism about different knowledge claims. “Epistemology is the philosophical investigation into this question: What can we know? The question, at first, seems pretty simple: It seems pretty obvious that I know that 3+5+8, that the sun will rise tomorrow and that my chances of winning the lottery aren’t very good. I also know

Critical Lens Essay - Annotated Bibliography Curren, Erik D. "Should their eyes have been watching God?: Hurston's use of religious experience and gothic horror. " African American Review. Vol. 29.

Imagine not having any purpose, or at least so far as you can see. This would be quite depressing, since everyone wants a purpose and a reason to go through trials. This theory is illustrated in the book, “The Alloy of Law”, by Brandon Sanderson. Sanderson uses third person point of view and diction to reveal how self-discovery brings happiness.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly", was once said by Antoine De Saint-Exupery. This is an accurate quote to live by and refer to daily since following your instincts is usually the best decision for yourself. It leads you to do exactly what you want to do, instead of anyone getting to your mindset. This quote can also be shown in literature-characters go through hardships within there own minds. But when a third party expresses their own opinion of the problem then the character becomes confused and eventually withdrawled from what they really want. Accordingly, two works of literature that best show how following your heart(mind) is the better decision would be Tennesse Williams play The Glass

In Plato's The Republic he discuses the idea that there is first knowledge at the first degree. In the second degree there is opinion which is neither proven to be true or false. In the last degree is falsehood. He argues that opinion is not pure knowledge and therefore can not be pure truth. Plato goes on to say, "But surely when a man is deceived in his own mind we can fairly call his ignorance of the truth "true falsehood". For a false

Many people can’t handle the truth, they fear it. I agree with Plato that the truth is something that is always objective. Tim O’Brien would think that one person’s truth from their experiences isn’t always another person’s truth, it is subjective. Plato and O’Brien have differing opinions about truth and how to deal with fear.

The next two, rationalism and empiricism are the combination of knowledge via science. Knowledge via rationalism involves logical reasoning. It is the combination of stating precise ideas (often in the form of syllogism), applying logical rules, and making logical conclusions based on the ideas. The problem is when the syllogism’s content or either premises is false. The knowledge is not based on the content, but on the logical manner it is presented. Knowledge via empiricism involves gaining knowledge through objective observation and the experiences of one’s senses: seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and touching (collection of facts), and views knowledge, as “I’ll believe when I see it”.

The Gettier Problem is a widely acknowledged philosophical question, named in honour of Edmund Gettier who discovered it in 1963, which questions whether a piece of information that someone believes for invalid reasons, but by mere happenstance is correct, counts as knowledge. Before the Gettier paper was published, it was widely believed that the Tripartite Theory of Knowledge- which states that Justified True Belief equaled knowledge- was fact. This means that with three conditions, one could know something. Firstly, if you believe something, secondly, if you have justification for believing, and thirdly, that your belief is in fact true. If all three of these conditions were met, then this amounted to knowledge. However, with the publication of Gettier’s paper, “Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?”, he attempted to prove, with the aid of a number of problems, that it was not sufficient to have only these three conditions in order for a belief to become knowledge.

A new outlook on pre-Civil War slavery is portrayed in Edward Jones' novel "The Known World". Unlike many well-known novels that cover slavery, Jones chose to focus on the thoughts and emotions of both the slaves and slave-owners and how they interact with each other. Set in a wealthy Virginia county, the practice of owning slaves is common to the white man and the black man as well. The main focus of the story is Henry Townsend, a black former slave that was bought out of slavery by his father, who was also a former slave. As time passes Henry never loses the admiration he has for his former master and looks to him as an idol. Much to his parent's disappointment Henry not only enjoys his life as a free black man after being bought by his

The question that the textbook poses at the very beginning of chapter four is, “Are you Free” (Chaffee, 2013, p. 172)? Most people would look at this question as pretty cut and dry and would answer a resounding yes. Philosophically speaking, it is not that easy of an answer. You have to be willing to look at the question with an open mind, and ask yourself if the choices you make are truly free or if they are governed by forces outside of your control.

Merriam-Webster defines epistemology as “the study of the nature, origin, and limits of human knowledge.” As applied to intelligence, the application of epistemology becomes highly important when analysts are making judgements while assessing information that is not fully factual. Analysts work with information that can be ambiguous, deceptive, conflicting, and even absent; yet, they are required to produce intelligence products that are reliable enough for policymakers to act upon and make decisions. In these situations, the analyst must make good use of epistemology to ensure that the intelligence judgements are reliable. Regarding intelligence analysis, there are four epistemologies, or “ways of knowing”, that are used: authority, habit of thought, rationalism, and empiricism. Science is a fifth epistemology that combines attributes of rationalism and empiricism. An analyst must know which epistemology he or she used to understand the errors that may be made and the self-correcting mechanisms needed to improve reliability.

Empiricism- knowledge is obtained through experience only. Theorist argue that we are born a blank slate and via our five senses we gain information and assessment and expanding our knowledge base.