Skip to content
Astral Atlas
Wiki concept · Research & interpretation

Epistemology

The philosophical study of knowledge, justification and the limits of evidence. Here, a term’s epistemology explains how its claims are supported; etymology instead concerns the origin and history of a word.

In this entry

Word origin · etymology

Modern scholarly coinage from Greek components.

Epistēmē means knowledge or understanding; -logy marks an account or study. The name designates inquiry into knowledge.

Merriam-Webster: epistemology ↗

How we know · epistemology

Philosophical inquiry

Epistemology examines knowledge, justification and the limits of evidence through argument and analysis. Philosophers disagree about its answers; here, an epistemology note identifies the basis of a claim and what that basis does or does not establish.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Epistemology ↗

Connected concepts

Terms used in this explanation

These links connect subjects and terminology. They do not establish a shared historical origin.

Sources & provenance

Use the citations beside each section to distinguish a calculation convention, a historical teaching and an editorial example.

Find these sources across the wiki →

  1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Epistemology ↗
  2. Merriam-Webster: epistemology ↗