epistemologywhat

Epistemologywhat is a term sometimes used in informal discussions or teaching contexts to foreground the central questions of epistemology—the branch of philosophy that studies knowledge, belief, and justification. It is not an established scholarly term; rather, it functions as a prompt to ask what counts as knowledge and what it means to know something. When employed, epistemologywhat signals a focus on the fundamental “what” of knowledge—the nature of knowledge itself, the sources and limits of justification, and the relationship between belief and truth.

In practice, the phrase invites examination of what knowledge is, what justifies beliefs, what counts as evidence, and how truth relates to belief. It emphasizes distinguishing knowledge from mere opinion, guesswork, or unexamined assumptions, while considering how sources such as perception, memory, testimony, and reasoning contribute to knowing.

Core questions associated with epistemologywhat include: what are the necessary and sufficient conditions for knowledge; how do justification, evidence, and reliability factor into knowledge claims; what is the role of perception, memory, and testimony as sources; and how do skepticism and cognitive biases challenge our claims to know. The term is often explored through standard epistemological theories such as foundationalism, coherentism, reliabilism, virtue epistemology, and social epistemology. Debates touched by epistemologywhat also involve internalism versus externalism and the impact of social processes on knowledge.

See also epistemology, knowledge, justification.