Explain Hume’s radical empiricism including Hume’s Fork and the conclusion he reaches based on the egocentric predicament.Explain Hume’s radical empiricism including Hume’s Fork and the conclusion he reaches based on the egocentric predicament.
View and take notes on the presentation, “How are Beliefs Acquired?”
· According to Plato, how do we learn things?
· How did Descartes arrive at the existence of God? Matter?
· Explain Kant’s combination of empiricism and rationalism and his radical conclusion.
Read and take notes on Chapter 3 of How Do You Know? A Short Introduction to the Issues of Epistemology, “Where Does Knowledge Come From?” As you do, consider the following questions and points:
· List the 5 sources for knowledge.
· Explain Plato’s doctrine of the forms and the 2 worlds, and why Plato was hesitant to build a theory of knowledge on the physical world.
· How do we gain true knowledge according to Plato?
· Explain Plato’s divided line.
· What was Descartes searching for and how did he conduct that search?
· Why can Descartes be certain about is existence?
· What is the distinction between hard and soft empiricism?
· How does the epicurean view of reality affect their epistemology?
· Contrast the deductive method with Bacon’s inductive (scientific) method.
· Explain Locke’s empiricism including his division of simple and complex ideas.
· Explain Hume’s radical empiricism including Hume’s Fork and the conclusion he reaches based on the egocentric predicament.
· Why are epistemologists suspicious of testimony as a source for knowledge?
· Why is divine revelation an important source of knowledge about God?
· Is faith properly understood as a source of knowledge? Why or why not?
