epistemology

noun

epis·​te·​mol·​o·​gy i-ˌpi-stə-ˈmä-lə-jē 

: the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge especially with reference to its limits and validity

epistemologist

i-ˌpi-stə-ˈmä-lə-jist 

noun

Examples of epistemology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Take John Danaher, a monklike New Zealander who got his first taste of jiu-jitsu as a graduate student studying epistemology at Columbia University; a guy half his size challenged him to a fight (in the philosophy-department office) and wore him out in minutes. —Stephanie Hayes, The Atlantic, 19 Nov. 2021

While McConaghy presents intelligent perspectives on the wisdom of rewilding, the book goes into deeper questions of epistemology. —Margaret Wappler, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2021

An alternative conclusion—richer in possibilities, in my opinion—is that scientific thought in recent decades invites us to reject empiricism and to endorse a broader epistemology. —WSJ, 3 Oct. 2021

Descartes, Hume and Kant, tradition says, have rival views of knowledge and reality — epistemology and metaphysics. —Dave Anderson, Star Tribune, 29 June 2021

Word History

Etymology

Greek epistḗmē "skill, expertise, knowledge" + -o- + -logy, initially as translation of German Wissenschaftslehre — more at epistemic

First Known Use

circa 1856, in the meaning defined above