epistemology
/ɪˌpɪs.təˈmɒl.ə.dʒi/ IELTSAcademic
noun
the branch of philosophy that studies knowledge. It asks what knowledge is, how we get it, and how we know something is true.
- Epistemology asks how we know what is true.
- Her thesis focuses on epistemology and science.
- They discussed epistemology in philosophy class.
Adinary Nuance
Epistemology is more specific than philosophy. Philosophy is the broad study of life, thought, and reality, while epistemology focuses only on knowledge. It is also narrower than theory of knowledge, which is a plain-English description of the same field.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- nhận thức luận
- Spanish
- epistemología
- Chinese
- 认识论
- Japanese
- 認識論
- Korean
- 인식론
Etymology
The word comes from Greek: epistēmē meaning “knowledge” and -logia meaning “study of.” It entered English in the 19th century.
Common phrases
epistemology of sciencesocial epistemologyepistemology courseepistemology and truth
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is epistemology a common word in everyday English?
- No, it is mostly used in academic writing and philosophy classes.
- What is the difference between epistemology and philosophy?
- Philosophy is the larger field. Epistemology is one part of it, about knowledge.
- How do I use epistemology in a sentence?
- Use it for the study of knowledge: “This essay examines epistemology.”
- Is epistemology formal?
- Yes, it is a formal academic word.