Philosophy 4

It seems like we know many things. 2+2=4; my backpack is where I left it; my homework is due on Tuesday. We seem to rely deeply on our knowledge in our daily life. But what is knowledge? Should you believe what people tell you? How much more confident should you be about something after getting new evidence? What should you do when someone disagrees with you? The area of philosophy called “epistemology,” or the theory of knowledge, investigates answers to these questions and more. In this course, you will develop your own answers to a range of epistemological questions via a mix of reading, writing, and discussion.

This course meets the philosophy and values general requirement, and can count towards both the philosophy major and the evidence and inference domain emphasis in the data science major.