Theory of Knowledge Is Known as Epistemology - Essay Example

The study of the Theory of Knowledge is known as Epistemology. This branch of study explores various aspects like the definition of knowledge, the difference between knowledge and belief, etc. Amongst these, one of the most popularly discussed and debated subjects is about the ways of gathering knowledge. As O Brien frames it “The Theory of Knowledge asks certain very general and very fundamental questions about knowers and knowledge. What is it to know? How is knowledge distinct from mere belief? And is knowledge possible?” (O Brien, p.3). The two most common theories in this regard are Empiricism and Rationalism.
Empiricism is the theory that knowledge can only be gained from actual perceptions. It is an extension of the Aristotelian theory that the human mind is a blank slate (or in Aristotle’s words – “Tabula Rasa”, an empty tablet) and only experience can bring in knowledge. This was later expounded in the 17th century by a number of philosophers like Locke. As per this theory, only sensory experiences allow us to understand the world. Soon it could be seen that experiences and sensations, by themselves, cannot explain most things like religion, philosophical concepts, etc. It was therefore necessary to add an element of inductive inference from the actual sensory perception to convert it into knowledge. This is, by definition, a deviation from pure empiricism as the inductive inference that a human being makes is dependent on the habits and beliefs of the person in question. Knowledge thus ceases to be an absolute entity anymore and is dependent on the person acquiring the belief.
Rationalism states that reason is the fundamental building block of our knowledge. It does not ignore the physical sensory perceptions but argues that the reason in the human mind is responsible for co-relating the events into knowledge. The most famous exponent of this theory was Rene Descartes. His “cogito ergo sum” or “I think, therefore I am” is probably the simplest definition of rationalism – where the process of thinking of an individual becomes the keystone of his knowledge. Babich and Cohen tell us in regard to Descartes that “because he assumes that the intellect is naturally the same in all humans, everyone can participate in this knowledge if they can think” (Babich and Cohen, p.53). Rationalism is based on certain specific concepts like the intuition/ deduction theory, the innate knowledge theory, and the innate concept theory. The intuition/ deduction theory tells us that knowledge begins with a kind of insight that is already present within oneself, which is then further built up based on events and observations – a process known as deduction.