Epistemology – the theory of knowledge

GPHL 110 Winter 2020
Introduction to Philosophy

Essay Question to Appear on the Final Exam

On the final exam for this course, you will be asked to answer the following question in clearly written paragraphs. You do not have to follow a formal essay-writing format in answering this question – no introduction, thesis statement, or conclusion required. Just imagine that you are diving into the body of an essay in which you are asked to summarize and evaluate philosophical arguments.

Here is the question…

Epistemology – the theory of knowledge – is one of the most fundamental investigations in philosophy. After all, we can’t really say we know anything about ourselves or the world around us until we answer some basic questions about knowledge itself. For instance, how do we know? (What is the source of knowledge, the means of acquiring it?) And 2) what do we know? (What counts as an object of knowledge, the sort of thing we might claim to know?) Compare and/or contrast how David Hume would answer these questions with ONE other philosopher we have studied in the course. Which of these philosophers do you think has the better theory of knowledge and why?

This question will make up the totality of your exam. You should devote ¾ of your answer to summary and ¼ to evaluation of philosophical arguments.

Please note: As with your essays, the goal is to demonstrate what you know about our course texts and our discussions of them in as much depth as possible and in your own words. My PowerPoint notes are meant to guide you through those texts and discussions – I have no interest in you merely repeating them back to me. And keep especially in mind that I am interested in what you learned from our class, not what you learned from the internet (and it’s pretty obvious when the internet has become your primary source). In presenting your argument summary and evaluation, follow the standards outlined on the “essay writing checklist” that I included with your essay assignments.