The Problems of Philosophy

Imagine an apple sitting on top of a table. Most people can recognize the fruit with ease, even if it varies in color, size, or shape. These people may also have specific questions about the fruit: How did the apple get there? Can I eat it? Philosophers such as Bertrand Russell, on the other hand, ask a different type of question. Epistemologists are concerned with human understanding: How do I know this is an apple? Where does that knowledge come from? Questions like these have preoccupied philosophers since the fifth century when Plato first asserted that knowledge is innate. His student Aristotle challenged this idea by suggesting that knowledge is gained through observation and experience. These Ancient Greek philosophers established the foundation for a field of study called epistemology, which explores the nature and limitations of knowledge. Epistemology uniquely turns the philosopher’s focus inward; epistemologists spend their time thinking about thinking. Rather than wondering about the tastiness of the apple, epistemologists are concerned with how people perceive, recognize, and think about the existence of the fruit.

Philosophical arguments about epistemology often center around the concepts of