...Knowledge Claims Knowledge issues emerge from knowledge claims. These are claims about what we know. Researchers examine the knowledge claims about social world (Crotty 2003). They are of an ontological nature (the reality and character of things) and epistemological nature (how the knower discovers the knowledge about the reality). Ontology and epistemology Before researchers embark on their journey to explore social phenomena, they need to clarify what their ontological and epistemological stances are. Just as every project has its start and finish, so does academic research. The first stage of academic research is for inquirers to ask a research question, answers for which will be learnt using proper research methods. Researchers can go about answering the research question quantitatively, qualitatively or utilizing mixed methods. It is believed that while undertaking academic research, ontologies and epistemologies, also called paradigms, must be defined separately from research methods, although these constituents are interlaced and they shape each other (Crotty 2003; Guba and Lincoln 1994; Poetschke 2003; Scotland 2012; Grix 2002). The word ontology is derived from two Greek words meaning being and word. Ontology deals with the world and the question whether the reality exists regardless of our knowledge about it or not. There are two contrasting philosophical traditions: positivism looking at reality as being real, true and concrete and interpretivism looking at the...
Words: 1059 - Pages: 5
...Personal Exploration of Knowledge Darchelle Mitchell University of Phoenix Personal Exploration of Knowledge What is epistemology? Simply put, it is the science or study of knowledge. It is curious that often human beings do not question the origin of knowledge, especially concerning common-sense beliefs and practices, taking on the notion that having been there always, it is tested, established, and proven to be true over practice. If knowledge is socially created and structured by man, it will also be subject to the flaws and fallibility and human thought. Epistemology addresses this by asking questions like - how is knowledge acquired and established, how do we know what we know, what is knowledge? These are basic and intriguing questions about knowledge that is not often addressed by us human beings when confronted with new or ordinary ideas and knowledge systems. They are important to ask however simply because human society's bedrock is knowledge; we live our lives influenced by systems of knowledge that control our ways of thinking, doing, and living from our simplest to most complicated tasks. Epistemology To truly understand epistemology as the philosophy and science of knowledge, it is important to understand what knowledge means. Knowledge is the knowing and familiarity of a skill, a person, an event, of facts, of descriptions, of abstract concepts. Acquiring knowledge...
Words: 1492 - Pages: 6
...In his 1989 article Mouck cites Morgan (1988) who observed that: “The idea that accountants represent reality ‘as is ‘ through the means of numbers that are objective and value free, has clouded the much more important insight that accountants are always engaged in interpreting a complex reality, partially, and in a way that is heavily weighted in favor of what the accountant is able to measure and chooses to measure…” (p. 480). Required: Discuss the extent to which the “scientific” world-view of mainstream accounting researchers, is grounded on a belief that “reality” exists independently of thee human subject and the possible implications this has for accounting theory development. Introduction Accounting is a subject that is guided with principles and regulations. Thus, it is often regarded as a rigid, rigorous, and highly analytical discipline with very precise interpretations. However, this is far from the truth. For instance, two organizations that are otherwise homogeneous can apply different valuation methods giving entirely distinct but equally correct answers. One may argue that a choice between accounting schemes is merely an “accounting construct” the sorts of “games” accountants play that are exclusively of relevance to them but have no pertinent in the “real world.” Once again this is entirely false. For example, valuation of inventory using either LIFO (Last-in-last-out) or FIFO (First-in-first-out) has an impact on income tax, especially in the US...
Words: 1609 - Pages: 7
...Concepts | Definition | Example (Providing MY OWN Psychology related examples) | Epistemology | According to sources, Epistemology is defined as being that which studies the origin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge. Epistemology is the study of knowing. It deals with the nature of knowledge, how do we know things, what do we know, why we know, is what we know true, and what are the limits of knowledge. Epistemology is a complicated “term” (for me) because it questions what often cannot be measured or accounted for. | Example:If I was asked to discuss a “Tsunami”. I would say that I “know” that a Tsunami is an under-water earthquake. That would not be an opinion as much as it would be fact based on research and findings that explain the process shifting tectonic plates that cause Tsunamis. So my knowledge about this grounded in my acceptance of the claims from trustable authorities and therefore my “knowing is shaped by what I accept to believe as true.Epistemology questions “frames of reference” and basically asks the question…”what informs this?” Often our Religious beliefs and our claim to “know” is challenged by “modern thinkers” who question – is it true because “someone” says it is…? | | | | Theory | Theory is a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles that can be used to investigate other/ different phenomenon in society. Theories exist because of documented experiences and research...
Words: 626 - Pages: 3
...Take the question “if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it do it make a sound?” First thought would be to say yes it does make a sound. But philosophers may argue the question, how do we know it makes a sound, it was not heard. “What is sound?” “Is sound produced only if one can hear it?” “Does falling produce sound or did the tree produce sound?” Philosophical questions are speculative, which give philosophers the road to examine different avenue of study at once. Philosophy tends to overlap other areas of study from physic, art, science, to any other subject that one can name. Any subject can be study philosophically when the right questions are asked. Questions are categorized in different areas of study. Epistemology deals with the questions concerning knowledge; how we know what we know is truth. Metaphysics explores questions of existence, is there a God. Moral philosophy is the study of moral judgment, what actions are wrong. A social philosophy question relates to society and it institutions, and political philosophy focused on the state and seeks to determine its justifications and ethically proper organization (Moore, 2005)....
Words: 579 - Pages: 3
...RENE DESCARTES’ METHODS OF DOUBT Introduction The theory of knowledge and analytical method advanced by the French philosopher Rene Descartes is often summed up in the famous phrase, Cogito ergo sum- “I think, therefore I am.” While this phrase does express the final step in his systematic process of “doubting everything,” it is a gross over-simplification of Descartes’ methods. Descartes did use systematic doubt to find the starting point for his theory of knowledge, but his other philosophical inquiries involved several different methods of doubting, from simply imagining that which is contradictory, to carrying logical postulates to absurd conclusions, to the more traditional methods of testing syllogisms and analyzing proofs. In this essay, I will examine Rene Descartes’ various methods of doubt, to show that the philosopher did not rely on the single reductio ad absurdum in his famous proof of his own existence. Descartes, as we will see, employed several different approaches to philosophical proofs, and he was not the mechanistic logician that his mathematical background might suggest. It will be the argument of this essay that Descartes applied different methods of doubt to different problems, depending upon whether the problem was epistemological, scientific or theological in nature. Existential Doubt: Do I Exist? The first and best-known method of doubt employed by Descartes involves reductionism, in the sense that he used a negative or reverse logical path...
Words: 2190 - Pages: 9
...Knowledge Management in the Livestock Industry William Afedu Annan University of Phoenix Knowledge and Self-management in the Livestock Industry The branch of philosophy which is concerned with nature and scope of knowledge and deals with the acquisition of knowledge with reference to any particular subject matter is termed as epistemology. Epistemology is a study which is connected to the notion of truth, belief and justification. These assertions are supported by Powell (2001) who postulated that epistemology is a study of knowledge in terms of what is known and how we know it. According to Powell, the role of epistemology is basically to probe the justifiability of knowledge-claiming itself. The philosopher Plato defined knowledge as justified true belief and according to Moser and vander Nat (2003), knowledge is related to belief and although knowledge requires belief, belief does not require knowledge. Aristotle and other medieval philosophers such as Descartes, Locke, and Hume expressed the view that the thoughts that go on in an individual’s mind are objects of belief. Self-management is the total absence of formal hierarchy in the work place, where the functions of the manager such as; planning, coordinating, controlling, staffing and directing are taken up by the individual knowledge-workers. This assertion is supported by Chiaburu, Baker and Pitariu (2006), who postulated that self-management, is the degree to which individual workers...
Words: 1842 - Pages: 8
...It will likewise aid them to develop and sharpen their reasoning and logic as they continue the practice analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating their learning experience and come up with quality judgments that can help establish their moral values and life principles. B. Philosophy of Christian Education It is focused on laying out the structural foundation of Christian educational programs in school. The Christian metaphysics are centered on God as the creator of all things; the Christian epistemology is the hub of revelation. It recognizes that all truth is God’s truth, because He is the truth. The Christian anthropology takes its pride in the full knowledge that human is created in the image and likeness of God. The Christian axiology is eternal, being grounded on the moral attributes God. Man is therefore commanded to reflect on the moral nature of God and perform being created in His image and likeness. C. Objective of Christian Education The purposeful objective of Christian education is to “direct the saints in the direction of Christian maturity that should be done through discipleship...
Words: 1516 - Pages: 7
...on the basis of arbitrary reasons, the likelihood of attaining the complete and accurate picture of the world is the same. I believe that Klein's defense against Luper-Foy's line of reasoning leaves much to be desired. I claim that when positive belief management principles as advocated by Luper-Foy are taken into consideration, the likelihood of attaining the epistemic goal is increased, and thus makes it more likely for an epistemic agent to attain the epistemic goal when one accepts on the basis of arbitrary reasons. Keywords: Infinitism, Foundationalism, Principle of Avoiding Arbitrariness, harmless arbitrariness Introduction In traditional epistemology, knowledge is commonly interpreted to be epistemically justified true belief. One object of concern for this traditional analysis is how...
Words: 1599 - Pages: 7
...help create and understand your own personality. Students will be able to improve their analytical, reasoning and evaluation skills. Overall any student studying philosophy can benefit greatly from it. 2. Explain the Socratic Method of Teaching. Is this a useful way for students to learn? The Socratic Method of Teaching dates back to ancient Athenian times. Socrates was the wisest man states the Oracle. Socrates replied saying “he was wise because he admitted his ignorance.” Sadly Socrates never wrote down any of his thoughts however, Pluto wrote dialogue that reflected his views. His method is a good way for students to learn because it helps them develop critical thinking skills. It helps students improve their skills in analysis and opening up to thoughts and ideas. This method helps provide a foundation for answers we are looking for and puts those answers into perspective. 3. Explain how critical thinking can be used to analyze a philosophical issue. Critical thinking can be used to analyze a philosophical issue because it helps with understanding the issue at hand and comprehending those issues. Being able to think critically means that you are able make rational evaluations to investigate facts and reasons to philosophical issues. Philosophy itself is a thinkers game. It is a way to evaluate arguments in the world and critical thinking is...
Words: 1362 - Pages: 6
...Primary Literature Shifts Undergraduates’ Self-Assessed Ability to Read and Analyze Journal Articles, Attitudes about Science, and Epistemological Beliefs Sally G. Hoskins,* David Lopatto,† and Leslie M. Stevens‡ *Department of Biology and The Graduate Center, City College of the City University of New York, New York, NY 10031; † Department of Psychology, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA 50112; ‡ Section of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712 Submitted March 18, 2011; Revised June 9, 2011; Accepted July 5, 2011 Monitoring Editor: Diane K. O’Dowd The C.R.E.A.T.E. (Consider, Read, Elucidate hypotheses, Analyze and interpret data, Think of the next Experiment) method uses intensive analysis of primary literature in the undergraduate classroom to demystify and humanize science. We have reported previously that the method improves students’ critical thinking and content integration abilities, while at the same time enhancing their self-reported understanding of “who does science, and why.” We report here the results of an assessment that addressed C.R.E.A.T.E. students’ attitudes about the nature of science, beliefs about learning, and confidence in their ability to read, analyze, and explain research articles. Using a Likert-style survey administered pre- and postcourse, we found significant changes in students’ confidence in their ability to read and analyze primary literature, self-assessed understanding of the nature...
Words: 2090 - Pages: 9
...Ancient Philosophy 3rd November 2011 Epistemology - The theory of knowledge. Theory of Forms or Ideas... • Plato believed that what the senses show us/what we see/what we perceive is called world observation. • Things are not as how we see them • If you are trying to produce an unphysical cause you would use different vocabulary • A physicist can say that the only answer to give a theory about the existence of the world you have to study physics. • Plato brings abstract ideas for examples what is justice? • Plato would say in order to know what justice is you have to get a certain essence of justice. 10th November 2011 • If you want to grasp on reality what you really need to think of is not the world of sense but the world of Ideas that can only be grasped by the philosophers. • What you start with at the bottom are simply dreams... as you climb up the ladder you move from the world of dreams to the world of Doxa(opinion/ordinary common sense) until you reach the epistemei(the only kind of knowledge that gives you Truth) • Plato says that you can never find the perfect justice. You cannot find perfection since perfection is only found in the abstract form of justice. • The ideal of the early Greeks was the perfect male model like hipieus. • Socrates tells hipieus and asks him what beauty is? • Hipieus answers that beauty is a beautiful woman... he thinks that this is obvious • But Socrates continues to challenge him that beauty is not just related to...
Words: 1511 - Pages: 7
...This article from PPST Bulletin is made available on-line by Samanvaya (www.samanvaya.com). All the rights of the article rest with the authors and any enquiries and clarifications may be directed to them. These are made available in an as-is basis, please report any mistakes to knowledge@samanvaya.com. TOWARDS A NON-WESTERN PERSPECTIVE ON SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE I The available studies on the phenomenon and institution of science suffer from a curious limitation. It is as if all those who analyse the subject were overawed by the grandeur of modern science, and their studies were in the nature of tributes laid at the feet of this great saviour. All analysis starts from the assumption that modern science is a set of value-free theories that uniquely explain reality. After the scientists in the early 20th century started overhauling their theories in a big way, it was granted that the value-free theories of science that explain reality may do so only partially at a given time, but as science progresses, its theories explain more and more of reality and the process converges towards the ‘ultimate’, ‘unique’ law that explains everything. Committed to this idealist picture of a unique value free science, the philosophy of science is reduced to a set of attempts at finding the epistemological criterion, internal to science, that allows the scientist, unencumbered by any extraneous considerations, to choose the true theory out of a competing set; the sociology of science is reduced to...
Words: 4795 - Pages: 20
...Willie Franklin Intro to Philosophy Professor David Scott 5/13/13 Critical Analysis Paper: Plato Vs. Descartes Plato lived in a time of decline of the Greek aristocracy. He was discouraged by both the "mob" (majority rule) and the "elite" (group of nobles) in his country (Johansen 22). He felt that majority rule was irrational and volatile because the average person lacked knowledge and self-restraint, making decisions from emotional responses based on desire and sentiment (Johansen 25). When is comes to metaphysics, Plato’s Theory of the Forms is by far the nucleus of it. For Plato, Forms are timeless essence or entities that rule the well being of a person. Also according to Plato, Forms are transcendental because they depend on the declaration that there is a plane of being outside of our ordinary existence (Tovar 10). Plato divided metaphysics into four levels of reality and four epistemological ways of apprehending the Forms. The four levels of reality are images, sensible objects, lower forms, and higher forms (Tovar 22). The four epistemological ways of apprehending are imagination, perception, reasoning and understanding. When is comes to his epistemology, he tied his dualistic notion of being and becoming. Being is said to be unchangeable and becoming is the way the world appears. Plato though that whatever is relative and always shifting could not be true. So basically Plato is saying the becoming is something that is not real. When it comes to truth...
Words: 1010 - Pages: 5
...3 Branches of Philosophy Metaphysics - nature of things. [Why is this table here?] Epistemology - nature of knowledge. [What is the purpose of life?] Ethics - nature of behavior. [Why is he doing that?] Nature of Reality? Accidens - form Essens - matter Reality changes Formal cause Material cause Efficient cause Final Cause Potentiality and Actuality 4 Levels of Knowing [Plato] Imagining Belief Thinking Intelligence Ethics Nature of Human Behavior Tendency of all Evil is absence or ignorance of knowledge Insight Seeing with the mind [Analysis - using metaphors] Abstraction Nature of Philosophical Inquiry Self, Other, Awareness SELF OTHER SELF: Curious / Perplexed Responsible Personal Communal OTHER: Unknown Unlimited things to know Demands a response Experience - interactive process where human self is in dynamic relation with other. Inquiry is Integrative 2 Levels 1 Personal 2 Communal Modes of Inquiry LOGIC - Appearance is given theoretical coherence. - Relate meanings to each other. PHENOMENOLOGY Experience is lived out by individual. META-PRAGMATICS Practicing lived experience as a community (shared). Insight Seeing with the Mind (analysis) Metaphor use to analyze insight - crystal clear Abstraction World View Commitment - Statement of Belief. Perception of the world. Form the foundation of your very being. Christian Theism Foundation of World View. All world views are...
Words: 293 - Pages: 2
