How Do You Know What You “Know”?
And how do you arrive at your beliefs?
Every day, we make judgments — about what’s right and wrong, who to trust, or even what’s real. But how often do we pause to ask ourselves a deeper question:
How do we know what we know?
Are our beliefs rooted in sound reasoning, or are they shaped by biases, emotions, or unreliable intuition?
This question leads us to the field of epistemology — the branch of philosophy that explores how we acquire knowledge, justify our beliefs, and separate truth from mere opinion.
Epistemology shapes how we navigate relationships, engage in discussions, handle disagreements, and approach life.
In today’s world, the line between opinion and fact often feels blurred. Consider these two statements:
- “Chocolate chip cookie dough is my favorite ice cream flavor.”
- “The Earth revolves around the Sun.”
Hopefully, it’s clear these statements are different in their scope and weight. One is subjective, a matter of personal preference. The other is an objective fact, supported by scientific evidence.
Understanding this distinction is critical because so many of the beliefs we hold — whether about…
