episztemológiai

Episztemológiai is an adjective that denotes a relation to epistemology, the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge, its nature, sources, and limits. In Hungarian philosophical usage, the standard term for the field is ismeretelmélet, while episztemológiai functions as a loanword form aligned with the English term epistemological and is used in bilingual or comparative contexts.

The scope of episztemológiai inquiry includes questions about what counts as knowledge, what justifies beliefs, and how truth relates to justification. Central topics include the sources of knowledge (perception, reason, memory, testimony), the criteria for justified belief, and the distinction between belief and knowledge. Epistemology also examines skepticism, the reliability of cognitive processes, and the conditions under which justification suffices for knowledge.

The field encompasses several major approaches and theories. Foundationalism searches for basic beliefs that ground all justification; coherentism links justification to the coherence of a system of beliefs; reliabilism emphasizes the reliability of cognitive processes; internalism and externalism debate whether justification depends on factors accessible to the subject or also on external conditions. Debates between rationalism and empiricism, as well as discussions of a priori versus a posteriori knowledge, frequently arise in episztemológiai contexts, alongside contemporary topics such as contextualism, virtue epistemology, and epistemic closure.

Historically, epistemology has roots in ancient philosophy and mature developments in the modern and contemporary periods, evolving through analytic and continental traditions. It remains a central area of inquiry in philosophy, cognitive science, and related disciplines, often intersecting with logic, science studies, and metaphysics. See also: ismeretelmélet, epistemology, skepticism, justification, belief.