Aims

By the end of the course, the students should:
be familiar with the basic concepts that come into play in a rational debate;
understand how a debate can aspire to the truth in a founded and critical manner;
have an idea of the many answers offered to the question: "what can I know?"

Main themes

Analyze thinking processes (conceiving, judging, reasoning).
Examine the obstacles to knowledge (doubt, error, contradiction), and the means for overcoming these obstacles.
Give an account of the main tendencies of epistemology (empiricism, rationalism, realism).

NB: We treat epistemology as a general theory of knowledge. Epistemology can also be considered as an introduction to other philosophy courses (metaphysics, anthropology, philosophy of nature, etc.).

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Pre-requisites: Introductory philosophy course.

Assessment: The exam bears on the lectures (60% of the grade); on the participation in the tutorial (20% of the grade); and on the essay (20% of the grade).

Supporting material: Class notes, reading package, bibliography.

Course holder/Course supervision: An EFT assistant (leading the tutorial and the library work, writing assistance).

Other credits in programs