Natural
Mental
Spiritual
The field of philosophy offers many different
theories or points of view on the nature of
these categories of reality, and on the
relationships between them.
Some versions of
Materialism or Naturalism
• Some philosophies believe that only
physical objects or matter and energy are
real; that even mental creations are simply
detectable and measurable changes in the
brain and body; and, that spiritual things are
merely another type of construction by the
mind.
Physical Matter and Energy
Some versions of
Idealism
• Some philosophies believe that all reality
exists only in our minds; the material and
spiritual worlds have no objective or
independent existence or reality beyond our
mental ideas, feelings, or images about
them.
Mental Constructs
Some versions of
Spiritualism
• Some philosophies believe physical,
mental, and spiritual things are all very real;
but, they do not exist in separate categories;
rather, they are interactive elements within a
single integrated reality.
Physical
Mental
Spiritual
Some versions of
Skepticism
• Some philosophies believe that we cannot
know what exists or is real; our primary
means of knowing (senses, minds, hearts)
are simply too deceptive, too confused, and
too unreliable to allow for any certainty
about existence or reality.
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?
Some versions of
Social Constructionism
• Some philosophies believe that, in the final
analysis, what really exists is whatever the
most influential and powerful groups in
society say really exists.
Social Constructs
Are These
Social Constructs?
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•
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Gender Roles?
Race?
California Mission History?
Evolution?
Global Warming?
Islamic Extremism
Some versions of
Existentialism
• Some philosophies believe that the issue of
ultimate existence is irrelevant; all that
really matters is what each person believes
exists, and how those beliefs affect his or
her personal life.
Personal Construction
So, is Existence or Reality…
• Only Physical Matter? (Materialism)
• All Mental Constructs? (Idealism)
• An Integrated Physical/Mental/Spiritual Whole? (Spiritualism)
• Unknowable? (Skepticism)
• Defined by Each Society’s Elite? (Social Constructionism)
• Whatever Each Individual Thinks It Is? (Existentialism)
• Something Else Entirely?
Epistemology
What is knowledge?
and
How do we know
things?
“Knowledge”
• We use the word all the time.
• We seem to have a shared understanding of
what it means.
• Yet, it is difficult to actually define it.
How do you think about “knowledge”?
“Knowledge” could be considered something
In the Mind
“Knowledge” could be considered
Multidimensional and Complicated
“Knowledge” could be considered
Abstract and Mysterious
“Knowledge” could be considered
Confusing
Knowledge is all these things…
But,
We can try to
simplify it !
Many Philosophers Say…
Knowledge is
“Justified True Beliefs”
or
JTB
Knowledge is
Things you
believe
that you
can justify
that are true
3 Alternative Views of “Truth”
• Truth is Objective
• Truth is Subjective
• Truth is Relative
– relative to some system of justification
– relative to some social group
Knowledge is
Things you
believe
that you
can justify
that are true
Statements
that you
believe
that you can justify within
some system of justification to
the satisfaction of most people
who operate within that
system.
Examples of Knowledge Statements
1. There are 30 students enrolled in HCOM 301-01.
2. Bill Clinton was the first president of the United States.
3. God is present in all living things.
4. Acting with kindness will increase the chances that a person will receive
kindness from others.
5. Men make better leaders than women.
6. The air we breathe is 78% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, and 1.05% other gases.
7. Abortion is murder.
8. In 1531, on a hilltop outside Mexico City, Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to
farmer Juan Diego.
9. The U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq was good for the Iraqi people.
10. Some 150,000 to 200,000 years ago, the human species evolved into being from
lower life forms.
• Clearly, these are all expressed beliefs or
knowledge statements
• But, how do we determine if they are “true”?
• What methods are available to justify or
support, or to disprove, the truthfulness of
expressed beliefs or knowledge statements?
Introducing Epistemology
Well, it shouldn’t surprise us that there are many
alternative and competing methods for
determining the truthfulness of our beliefs or
knowledge. That is why we say that there are
multiple “Ways of Knowing”.
The study of these alternative ways of knowing is
called Epistemology.
Alternative “Ways of Knowing”
Essentially, are different ways of searching
for understanding and truth,
And, that use different methods or systems for
justifying or supporting their claims to
knowledge (i.e., different epistemologies)
Alternative Epistemologies
• Some are distinct, and
have nothing in
common with others
• Some are similar to
others, having both
common features and
differences
Some Epistemologies We Will Explore
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Rationalism/Reason/Logic
Empiricism/Experience/Science
Religion/Revelation/Faith
Intuition
Spiritualism
Social Constructionism
Occultism
Skepticism
Assignment on 2-6