Epistemology Flashcards
epistemology
a thory of knowing: a studie of how do we go about choosing one account or explanation over another
how do we know what we know?how does knowing happen?how is it organized?
how is knowing enable and constarined?
involves assumptions about the knower,the known and the relationship between the two(process of knowing)
who wants to (know in a reserch)
depending on who is asking
what disciplinary
four common epistemology orientations
1-positivist
2-critical realist
3-standpoint
4-radical social constructionist
1.Positivist
assumptions:
-the world is governed by underlying regularities and natural laws
-the Truth exists can be uncorvered through systematic observation
-Objectivity:good science is value-free
-repliticable
ex: a psychologist/a scientist would have this epistemology
relationship between the knower and the known:
-the Knower and the Known must be completely separeted(Positivist)
-the identity,experiences and interests of the knower should not influence their porcess of knowing (biases)
-all knowers see the known in the same way
2.Critical realism
assumptions:
-the world exists independently of our thinking about it
-there are patterns to the way the world works
-scientific rationality is imperfect and limited but the best option
-the world is complex and changing:(psychological) phenomena have multiple causes
-knowledge generation=ongoing collaborative community project
-scientific understanding improves over time
ex:social science
relationship between the knower and the know
the knower: shape and limited by the discourses of culture and science
the known:complex and changing (approximation of reality)
the process of knowing: mediated by culture and scientific tools but amenable to adjust and increasing refinement
- Standpoint
-knowing always happens from somewhere(history,culture,interests,psychol location) metter - oppost of positivist
-our perspectives are informed by:
-our social location(class,race,gender,sexual orientation)
- being margenalized or privilege
-our dayli experience
-academic research privileges some standpoints over others (asking new questions)
-some marginalized groups are routinely object of research,rarely observers
relationship between the knowe and the known
the Knower: every knower has a particular vantage point
the Kown: differs depending on who is doing the knowing,and when and how they do it
the Process of knowing:partial,local,and historically specific
- radical social constructionist
-natural laws do not exists for the social sciences
-institutions produce the social world that they claim to only study
-social scientific classifying,labelling,diagnosing, and treating groups and individuals actually creates those individuals and groups
a)who they are
b)how they understand themselves
c)how others see and treat them
-institutions shapes how we see a certain thing in society
-
relationship between the knower and the known
the Knower produces the Known through the Process of knowing
everything we know is a product of our perception
social science ?
spectrum
(objectivity)
positivism—–critical realism – standpoint—-radical social constructionism
(subjectivity)
think critically in everyday life
-critically consume reported in media
-recognize your own bias
-spread the word
