Epistemology (Theory of Knowledge)

21 - We Don't Need No Education: Plato's Meno

Posted on 19 February 2011

Peter tackles one of Plato's most frequently read dialogues, the "Meno," and the theory that what seems to be learning is in fact recollection.

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22 - I Know, Because the Caged Bird Sings: Plato's Theaetetus

Posted on 27 February 2011

Peter examines Plato’s "Theaetetus", discussing the relativist doctrine of Protagoras, the flux doctrine of Heraclitus, and the two famous images of the wax tablet and aviary.

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23 - MM McCabe on Knowledge in Plato

Posted on 4 March 2011

What is Plato's understanding of knowledge, and how does he think that knowledge relates to virtue? Peter tackles these questions with his King's colleague MM McCabe in this interview.

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36 - A Principled Stand: Aristotle's Epistemology

Posted on 5 June 2011

Peter discusses Aristotle's Posterior Analytics, asking what demands we must meet in order to count as having knowledge. The bar turns out to be set surprisingly high.

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37 - Hugh Benson on Aristotelian Method

Posted on 11 June 2011

Hugh Benson of the University of Oklahoma chats to Peter about Aristotle's views on philosophical method, and whether he practices what he preaches.

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54 - Instant Gratification: the Cyrenaics

Posted on 13 November 2011

Peter considers Aristippus and the Cyrenaics, a group of hedonistic philosophers who were in touch with their feelings… but nothing else.

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55 - The Constant Gardener: Epicurus and his Principles

Posted on 20 November 2011

Peter begins to examine the philosophy of Epicurus, focusing on his empiricist theory of knowledge and his atomic physics.

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61 - Nobody’s Perfect: the Stoics on Knowledge

Posted on 1 January 2012

The Stoics think there could be a perfect sage, so wise that he is never wrong. Is this a big mistake? Peter investigates their epistemology to find out.

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129 - The Second Master: al-Fārābī

Posted on 19 May 2013

Peter begins to look at the systematic rethinking of Hellenic philosophy offered by al-Fārābī, focusing on his logic and metaphysics.

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131 - Deborah Black on al-Fārābī's Epistemology

Posted on 2 June 2013

Deborah Black joins Peter to talk about al-Farabi's innovations concerning knowledge and certainty.

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141 - Into Thin Air: Avicenna on the Soul

Posted on 15 September 2013

With his Flying Man argument, Avicenna explores self-awareness and the relation between soul and body.

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151 - Single Minded: Averroes on the Intellect

Posted on 24 November 2013

You know what I'm thinking: Averroes' rather surprising notion that all humankind shares a single intellect.

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169 - A Matter of Principles: Albo and Abravanel

Posted on 31 March 2014

Joseph Albo and Isaac Abravanel critique Maimonides’ attempt to lay down foundations for the Jewish law.

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187 - Return to Sender: Mullā Ṣadrā on Motion and Knowledge

Posted on 3 August 2014

Mullā Ṣadrā proposes that all things are like sharks: in constant motion.

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234. Your Attention Please: Peter Olivi

Posted on 26 July 2015

Peter Olivi proposes that awareness occurs not through passively being affected by things, but by actively paying attention to them.

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244. Everybody Needs Some Body: Aquinas on Soul and Knowledge

Posted on 3 January 2016

Thomas Aquinas makes controversial claims concerning the unity of the soul and the empirical basis of human knowledge.

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256. Frequently Asked Questions: Henry of Ghent

Posted on 19 June 2016

Henry of Ghent, now little known but a leading scholastic in the late 13th century, makes influential proposals on all the debates of his time.

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264. Giorgio Pini on Scotus on Knowledge

Posted on 6 November 2016

Peter hears about Duns Scotus' epistemology from expert Giorgio Pini.

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31. Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire: Gautama’s Nyāya-Sūtra

Posted on 11 December 2016

The Nyāya-Sūtra inaugurates a tradition of logical and epistemological analysis.

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32. What You See Is What You Get: Nyāya on Perception

Posted on 25 December 2016

Nyāya philosophers explain how perception can bring us knowledge.

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33. Standard Deductions: Nyāya on Reasoning

Posted on 8 January 2017

Gautama and his commentators tell us how to separate good inferences from bad ones.

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35. Ujjwala Jha and V.N. Jha on Nyāya

Posted on 5 February 2017

The First Family of Indian Epistemology joins us to discuss the theories and later influence of the Nyāya school.

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272. A Close Shave: Ockham’s Nominalism

Posted on 26 February 2017

Ockham trims away the unnecessary entities posited by other scholastics with his famous Razor principle.

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274. Susan Brower-Toland on Ockham's Philosophy of Mind

Posted on 26 March 2017

An interview with Susan Brower-Toland covering Ockham's views on cognition, consciousness, and memory.

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39. The Wolf’s Footprint: Indian Naturalism

Posted on 2 April 2017

The Cārvāka or Lokāyata tradition rejects the efficacy of ritual and belief in the afterlife, and restricts knowledge to the realm of sense-perception.

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275. Keeping it Real: Responses to Ockham

Posted on 9 April 2017

Walter Burley flies the flag for realism against Ockham and other nominalists.

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45. Motion Denied: Nāgārjuna on Change

Posted on 25 June 2017

Nāgārjuna applies his emptiness theory to motion, change, and cognition.

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284. Seeing is Believing: Nicholas of Autrecourt’s Skeptical Challenge

Posted on 13 August 2017

The debate between Nicholas of Autrecourt and John Buridan on whether it is possible to achieve certain knowledge.

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285. Dominik Perler on Medieval Skepticism

Posted on 24 September 2017

The medievals were too firm in their beliefs to entertain skeptical worries, right? Don't be so sure, as Peter learns from Dominik Perler.

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50. Marie-Hélène Gorisse on Jain Epistemology

Posted on 1 October 2017

We're joined by Marie-Hélène Gorisse for a look at the Jain theory of knowledge.

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52. Under Construction: Dignāga on Perception and Language

Posted on 29 October 2017

The great Buddhist thinker Dignāga argues that general concepts and language are mere constructions superimposed on perception.

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53. Follow the Evidence: Dignāga's Logic

Posted on 12 November 2017

Dignāga’s trairūpya theory, which sets out the three conditions required for making reliable inferences.

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55. Doors of Perception: Dignāga on Consciousness

Posted on 10 December 2017

Dignāga argues that all perception is accompanied by self-awareness.

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61. What Happened Next: Indian Philosophy After Dignaga

Posted on 4 March 2018

A whirlwind tour of developments in Indian philosophy after Dignāga and a few words about the contemporary relevance of the tradition.

See the India timeline here on the site for the various names mentioned in this episode.

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297. The Prague Spring: Scholasticism Across Europe

Posted on 11 March 2018

New ideas and and new universities in Italy and greater Germany including Vienna and Prague, where Jan Hus carries on the radical ideas of Wyclif.

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300b. The Relevance of Medieval Philosophy Today

Posted on 6 May 2018

Peter King, Catarina Dutilh Novaes, and Russ Friedman discuss their approaches to medieval philosophy and its contemporary relevance.

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9. In You I Take Shelter: Zera Yacob

Posted on 22 July 2018

The 17th century Ethiopian rationalist Zera Yacob, hailed as the first modern Africana philosopher.

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Glenn Adamson on Material Intelligence

Posted on 11 August 2018

Peter's twin brother Glenn Adamson discusses the philosophical implications of craft.

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323. Through His Works You Shall Know Him: Palamas and Hesychasm

Posted on 21 April 2019

Gregory Palamas and the controversy over his teaching that we can go beyond human reason by grasping God through his activities or “energies”.

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336. We Built This City: Christine de Pizan

Posted on 17 November 2019

Christine de Pizan's political philosophy, epistemology, and the refutation of misogyny in her "City of Ladies".

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347. Bonfire of the Vanities: Savonarola

Posted on 19 April 2020

The prophetic preacher Girolamo Savonarola attacks pagan philosophy and puts forward his own political ideas, before coming to an untimely end.

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359. There and Back Again: Zabarella on Scientific Method

Posted on 8 November 2020

Jacopo Zabarella outlines the correct method for pursuing, and then presenting, scientific discoveries.

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365. Spirits in the Material World: Telesio and Campanella on Nature

Posted on 31 January 2021

Was the anti-Aristotelian natural philosophy of Bernardino Telesio and Tommaso Campanella the first modern physical theory?

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369. The Harder They Fall: Galileo and the Renaissance

Posted on 28 March 2021

Did Galileo’s scientific discoveries grow out of the culture of the Italian Renaissance?

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87. Call It Intuition: Leopold Senghor

Posted on 14 November 2021

Leopold Senghor compares different ways of knowing while developing his theory of Negritude and combining the roles of poet and politician.

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88. The Surreal Deal: Aimé and Suzanne Césaire

Posted on 28 November 2021

Negritude thinkers Aimé and Suzanne Césaire embrace surrealism and reflect on the relationships between poetry, knowledge, and identity.

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393. The World Doesn’t Revolve Around You: Copernicus

Posted on 27 March 2022

How revolutionary was the Copernican Revolution?

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394. Best of Both Worlds: Tycho Brahe

Posted on 10 April 2022

Responses to Copernicus in the 16th century, culminating with the master of astral observation Tycho Brahe.

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395. Music of the Spheres: Johannes Kepler

Posted on 24 April 2022

Kepler combines Brahe's observations, Copernicus' astronomy, and Platonist metaphysics.

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396. Lorraine Daston on Renaissance Science

Posted on 8 May 2022

Comets! Magnets! Armadillos! In this wide-ranging interview Lorraine Daston tells us how Renaissance and early modern scientists dealt with the extraordinary events they called "wonders".

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Bonus Episode: Don't Think for Yourself, Chapter 1

Posted on 14 August 2022

Peter reads the first chapter of his new book Don’t Think for Yourself: Authority and Belief in Medieval Philosophy, available from University of Notre Dame Press. Pre-order with the code 14FF20 from undpress.nd.edu, to get a 20% discount!

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403. Make It Simple: Peter Ramus

Posted on 11 September 2022

Peter Ramus scandalizes his critics, and thrills his students and admirers, by proposing a new and simpler approach to philosophy.

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405. Divide and Conquer: the Spread of Ramism

Posted on 9 October 2022

The methods of Peter Ramus sweep across Europe, winning adherents and facing stiff opposition in equal measure.

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413. Don’t Be So Sure: French Skepticism

Posted on 29 January 2023

The sources and scope of the skepticism of Montaigne, Charron (pictured), and Sanches.

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414. Henrik Lagerlund on Renaissance Skepticism

Posted on 12 February 2023

No doubt that we're in good hands with interview guest Henrik Lagerlund, who brings his expertise in the history of skepticism to bear on the French Renaissance. Including a look ahead to Descartes!

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