epistemology

American  

[ih-pis-tuh-mol-uh-jee] / ɪˌpɪs təˈmɒl ə dʒi /

noun

1. a branch of philosophy that investigates the origin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge.

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epistemology British  

/ ɪˌpɪstɪˈmɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the theory of knowledge, esp the critical study of its validity, methods, and scope

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epistemology Cultural  

1. The branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and origin of knowledge. Epistemology asks the question “How do we know what we know?”

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Other Word Forms

• epistemological adjective
• epistemologist noun

Etymology

Origin of epistemology

First recorded in 1855–60; from Greek epistḗm(ē) “knowledge” + -o- + -logy

Explanation

Epistemology is the study of knowledge: what we know, how we know it, how we know we know it, and how to keep track of it without driving ourselves crazy. You might be wondering if epistemology is just a hobby for people who know too much for their own good, but epistemology has a lot of uses. The study of knowledge leads to the study of learning, which leads to better methods of teaching. The study of knowledge helps us understand our cultural differences, which helps us all get along. Probably the coolest use of epistemology, though, is artificial intelligence: teaching computers how to learn.

Example Sentences

The result is a system that has absorbed Enlightenment epistemology as a byproduct of learning to model human reasoning.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Instead, she began working in epistemology and neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology while taking law classes in the evening.

From BBC • Aug. 28, 2023

Like “The Guest Lecture,” it uses a spectral theme to explore epistemology.

From Washington Post • Jan. 19, 2023

It seems that you have a pluralistic approach to law, and to epistemology as well.

From Salon • Sep. 11, 2022

The central task of such an epistemology is not to explain why we have been successful in our pursuit of scientific knowledge; there is no good answer to that question.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton