Epistemology and Metaphysics (5cr)

Objectives

The participants are capable of describing the central research topics, concepts, approaches, and arguments in epistemology and metaphysics. They are capable of identifying different conceptions of knowledge and their contexts, such as the standard analysis of knowledge. They are familiar with the most important theories of epistemic justification as well as philosophical theories of perception, and they are capable of reflecting on their shortcomings and virtues. They are aware of different conceptions of ontology and metaphysics so that they understand their philosophical questions and attempts to answer these questions. They are also capable of reflecting on these approaches in a critical way.

Content

The course provides an introduction to epistemology, covering debates on different conceptions of knowledge, the problem of skepticism, the standard analysis of knowledge and its counter-examples, theories of epistemic justification, and naturalism in epistemology. The course provides also an introduction to metaphysics, covering different conceptions of being as well as debates on the categories of being.