Understanding Knowledge: Epistemology, Language, and Reality
Item 3: Truth and Reality
1. Knowledge
Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that deals with the analysis of knowledge. It seeks to determine its origin, the methods for obtaining it, and the limits of what we can know.
The concept of knowledge:
To approach its definition, we can compare it with similar concepts:
- Opinion: Subjective findings. It is usually an assessment of reality or how it should be, based on our interests and beliefs. Opinions are not usually supported by strong reasons.
- Belief: We can distinguish two fundamental types or uses of the concept of belief:
- Hesitant use: Expresses that we are not really sure of the truth of what we say.
- Assertive use: In this case, we speak of belief when we are sure of something but do not have enough evidence to prove it.
- Knowledge: A belief that we are sure of and can prove. The belief ceases to be merely subjective and becomes objectively true knowledge.
There are two types of knowledge:
- Theoretical knowledge: Consists of information that describes and explains the natural and social world around us. Some philosophers consider it contemplative and disinterested knowledge.
- Working knowledge: Not just an explanation or description of the world, but knowing how to act in it, whether manipulating the environment in the production of goods or creating works of art. It is expertise in all areas.
2. Language and Knowledge
- Acquisition of knowledge: Language plays a decisive role in understanding reality. We receive most of the information that shapes our understanding through language, such as in school and books.
- Storage and transmission: Mankind has invented mechanisms to store and disseminate the vast amount of information it holds. It is not necessary for each new individual to start from scratch and from experience acquired all the knowledge humanity has accumulated over the centuries.
2.1 Characteristics of Language
Language is considered the human ability to communicate through a system of signs. This power is manifested in the particular language used by each speaker and possesses these characteristics:
- It is arbitrary or conventional: The open door drawing output means. The word out is a sign that gives the same information, but there is a difference in the first case gives a similarity between the sign and what it represents. In contrast, the second logic there is no relationship that is like nothing in the output word to give us clues of what it means. This is a conventional or arbitrary symbol.
- It is articulated and thus creative: A language is a complex system. However in reality consists of a small number of items. The Castilian has 24 phonemes. We are all the messages through the combination of these phonemes. The articulated nature of the language ensures their creativity and originality.
2.2. Language, Thought, and Reality
The relationship between language, thought, and reality is indisputable. The linguistic sign is broken down into three levels that can be associated with each of these areas:
- Signifier: Sequence of phonemes and language within the scope.
- Meaning: Idea or concept associated with a signifier and proper to the realm of thought.
- Referent: Quality, process, etc., we refer to and belongs to the realm of reality.