+*KNOWERS, KNOWING, AND THE KNOWN

Catalog description

Introduces students to a fundamental question of epistemology: How do we know when someone knows something? Invites careful reflection on assumptions embedded in this question concerning what counts as knowledge and what/who counts as a “someone.” Places philosophical answers to these questions in historical context in the global north/west, beginning with Descartes and Hume and moving into the contemporary period. Provides students with opportunities to critically reflect on the ways that social inequality affects whose knowledge matters, as well as current debates about artificial intelligence, non-human animal minds, and consciousness.