Definition

The area of philosophy that examines what knowledge is, how it is acquired, and the limits of what we can know.

Example

In her philosophy class, she learned about epistemology and how it relates to science and belief.

Conversation

Have you ever thought about epistemology and how we know what we know?

Not really, but it sounds interesting! What does it involve?

It's basically the study of knowledge and its limits, like what we can truly understand.

That makes sense! I guess understanding knowledge is pretty important.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Epistemology is formed from "episteme" (from Greek ἐπιστήμη, meaning knowledge) and "-logy" (from Greek -λογία, meaning study of). The word refers to the study of knowledge and how it is acquired.

Memory Tip

Think of 'episteme' meaning knowledge, and '-logy' meaning the study of — so epistemology is the study of knowledge.

Visually Confused Words