An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge / Edition 2

by Dan O'Brien

Overview

An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge, 2nd Edition guides the reader through the key issues and debates in contemporary epistemology. Lucid, comprehensive and accessible, it is an ideal textbook for students who are new to the subject and for university undergraduates.
 
The book is divided into five parts. Part I discusses the concept of knowledge and distinguishes between different types of knowledge. Part II surveys the sources of knowledge, considering both a priori and a posteriori knowledge. Parts III and IV provide an in-depth discussion of justification and scepticism. The final part of the book examines our alleged knowledge of the past, other minds, morality and God.
 
In this extensively revised second edition there are expanded sections on epistemic luck, social epistemology and contextualism, and there are new sections on the contemporary debates concerning the lottery paradox, pragmatic encroachment, peer disagreement, safety, sensitivity and virtue epistemology.
 
Engaging examples are used throughout the book, many taken from literature and the cinema. Complex issues, such as those concerning the private language argument, non-conceptual content, and the new riddle of induction, are explained in a clear and accessible way. This textbook is an invaluable guide to contemporary epistemology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780745664316
Publisher:	Polity Press
Publication date:	11/30/2016
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.73(w) x 9.69(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Dan O’Brien is Reader in Philosophy at Oxford Brookes University.

Table of Contents

PREFACE TO THE NEW EDITION

PART I: INTRODUCTION TO KNOWLEDGE

Chapter 1: THE THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE

Chapter 2: WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE?

PART II: SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE

Chapter 3: A PRIORI KNOWLEDGE

Chapter 4: PERCEPTION

Chapter 5: TESTIMONY

PART III: JUSTIFICATION

Chapter 6: FOUNDATIONALISM

Chapter 7: COHERENTISM

Chapter 8: INTERNALISM AND EXTERNALISM

PART IV: SCEPTICISM

Chapter 9: SCEPTICISM I: EVIL DEMONS AND BRAINS IN VATS

Chapter 10: SCEPTICISM II: CONTEXTUALISM AND INVARIANTISM

Chapter 11: THE PROBLEM OF INDUCTION

Chapter 12: NATURALIZED EPISTEMOLOGY

PART V: AREAS OF KNOWLEDGE

Chapter 13: MEMORY

Chapter 14: OTHER MINDS

Chapter 15: MORAL KNOWLEDGE

Chapter 16: GOD

GLOSSARY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Clear, lively, and based on thorough knowledge of the field, O'Brien's book provides an excellent introductory text in epistemology."
—Christopher Hookway, University of Sheffield

"You would have bet against anyone being able to present a concise, rigorous, thoroughly enjoyable introduction not just to all the central areas of epistemology but also to such difficult topics as Wilfrid Sellars' Myth of the Given, Wittgenstein's private language arguments and John McDowell's theory of experience. You would have lost. Dan O’Brien's text is just excellent. The author is an ideal guide through the maze of views that constitutes modern theory of knowledge."
—Laurence Goldstein, University of Kent

Editorial Reviews

"This is an excellent introduction to the theory of knowledge, comprehensive in scope but also accessible throughout, and written in an engaging style. Highly recommended."
Duncan Pritchard, University of Edinburgh

"It is the best book of its kind in this area available today. O Brien has a distinctive approach, using many colourful examples and illustrations, and maintains a lively and readable style throughout, without becoming superficial. It covers a very wide range of epistemological topics, and the additions in this new edition enhance its value."
Mark Tebbit, University of Reading

"It is a perfect introduction for students and people interested in knowledge and the theory of knowledge."
Waterstones Amsterdam

From the Publisher