epistemologies
Studies of knowing
Epistemologies is the plural of epistemology—the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge itself: what it means to know something, how knowledge differs from belief, and what counts as justification.
Different epistemologies offer competing frameworks: Feminist epistemologies challenge whose experiences count as evidence.
The term appears frequently in academic writing about methodology and theoretical foundations.
Knowledge through observation
- rationalismReason as knowledge source
- constructivismActive knowledge-building theory
- foundationalismKnowledge rests on basics
- pragmatismPractical problem-solving philosophy
relativism · objectivism · positivism · postmodernism · phenomenology · skepticism · realism · idealism
Reason proving rightness
- truthAccordance with reality
- beliefTrust held as true
- knowledgeUnderstood facts and skills
- certaintyTotal absence of doubt
doubt · evidence · warrant · testimony · propositional
Based on observation, not theory
- falsifiabilitySusceptibility to disproof
- verificationProving something accurate
- hypothesisTestable proposed explanation
- observationAttentive watching or remark
experimentation · evidence-based · induction · deduction · paradigm · replication · objectivity · methodology
Shared humanity ethic
- dreamtimeSleep phase with visions
- postcolonialAfter foreign rule ends
- decolonialOpposing colonial structures
Belief in deity
- atheismRejection of deities
- agnosticismDoubt about divine existence
- deismNon-intervening creator belief
- pantheismReality itself is holy
monotheism · polytheism · animism · gnosticism · mysticism · revelation · faith-based · scriptural
empiricism
Knowledge through observation
- rationalismReason as knowledge source
- constructivismActive knowledge-building theory
- foundationalismKnowledge rests on basics
pragmatism · relativism · objectivism · positivism · postmodernism · phenomenology · skepticism · realism · idealism · naturalism
justification
Reason proving rightness
certainty · doubt · evidence · warrant · testimony · propositional
empirical
Based on observation, not theory
- falsifiabilitySusceptibility to disproof
- verificationProving something accurate
- hypothesisTestable proposed explanation
observation · experimentation · evidence-based · induction · deduction · paradigm · replication · objectivity · methodology · data-driven
ubuntu
Shared humanity ethic
- dreamtimeSleep phase with visions
- postcolonialAfter foreign rule ends
- decolonialOpposing colonial structures
theism
Belief in deity
- atheismRejection of deities
- agnosticismDoubt about divine existence
- deismNon-intervening creator belief
pantheism · monotheism · polytheism · animism · gnosticism · mysticism · revelation · faith-based · scriptural · prophetic
epistemologiesfacts
Verifiable pieces of truth
data · information · evidence · truths · observations
epistemologiesdogmas
Authoritative established beliefs
blind faith · received wisdom · superstitions · anti-intellectualism · willful ignorance