Epistemology

Epistemology is a branch of Philosophy that is concerned with knowledge and its source. Derived from the Greek word episteme, which means knowledge, Epistemology studies the nature of knowledge, justification, the rationality of belief, and other issues. Epistemology primarily studies "Pramaan", also called the source of knowledge by which a person obtains accurate and valid knowledge of the world and anything in it.  Epistemology is one of the four main branches, with the remaining branches known as Ethics, Logic, and Metaphysics. There are various debates and discussions on Epistemology that cluster the philosophical knowledge and the conditions required for a belief to constitute knowledge such as truth and justification. Epistemology also studies the potential sources of knowledge and justified belief such as perception, reason, memory, and testimony.

The main questions asked in the world are, ‘What do we know?’, ‘What makes justified beliefs justified?’ and Epistemology aims to answer these questions. The study of Epistemology was first recognized as a philosophical discipline from the modern era onwards. The first philosopher to distinguish between investigating what exists and investigating what we can know about what exists was Plato. The four aspects of Epistemology are as follows:

• Knowledge
• Belief
• Truth
• Justification

Epistemology in Indian and Western Philosophy

The human search for truth and knowledge is an unending process. There are different ways of knowing and arriving at truth in Indian and Western Philosophy. In Indian Philosophy, the three sources of knowledge are Perception, Inference, and Word while in Western Philosophy, Justification and Evidence are the primary sources of knowledge. 

Irrespective of the source and medium through which knowledge has come about, truth is arrived at, it is an undeniable fact that human experience and its analysis do point us in some direction. Since knowledge is mediated, it is in some way an interpretation. There is always a background in which perception takes place. Knowledge and truth are no exception to these phenomena. Thus, epistemological enterprise extends to those levels of analysis where we interpret while knowing.

Students of Philosophy study Epistemology as a subject at the graduate level. It is one of the many subjects besides Logic, Metaphysics, and Ethics. At the postgraduate level, students can choose Epistemology as a major and research subject. Hermeneutics, a sub-branch of Epistemology is also studied at the graduate and postgraduate levels along with Epistemology. 

Epistemology Eligibility Criteria

The students need to fulfill the below-mentioned points to get admission to Epistemology courses:

• Candidates desirous of taking admission in an Epistemology course at the graduate level need to have passed class 12 irrespective of the stream, i.e, Arts, Humanities, Science, or Commerce.
• There are no specific subject requirements at the intermediate level for admission to the Epistemology course. However, at postgraduate level admission in Epistemology, candidates need to have studied Philosophy at the graduate level.   
• There are also institutes like IGNOU which admit students at postgraduate level courses without any restrictions of having studied Philosophy at the graduate level.

Epistemology Courses

People who wish to study and learn more about Epistemology can take up courses in Philosophy at the graduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels. The duration of the course and process of admission can be checked below.

Epistemology Entrance Exams

Some of the entrance exams that grant admission to students in Epistemology courses are:

• Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University YCMOU
• Jawaharlal Nehru University Entrance Exam
• Andhra Pradesh Research Common Entrance Test
• Central Universities Common Entrance Test
• Common Post Graduate Entrance Tests
• Humanities and Social Sciences Entrance Exam
• Aligarh Muslim University Entrance Exam
• Purvanchal University Common Admission Test
• Panjab University Common Entrance Test PG
• Tata Institute of Social Sciences National Entrance Test
• Tata Institute of Social Sciences Bachelor’s Admission Test

Also Read: Top Exams for Epistemology Courses

Epistemology Required Skills

Candidates who choose to pursue Philosophy as a course are undoubtedly driven by the quest for knowledge. Studying Philosophy as a subject requires students to have an interest in things beyond perception, and look for ideas beyond imagination. Some of the skills which Philosophy students need to have are:

Epistemology Syllabus

The basis of learning and explanation, as well as several related issues like reality, logic, and clarity, are examined in this course. The relationship between vision and belief will also be studied by the students with respect to various theories. The main topics covered in this course include:

Philosophy Admission Process

Chose University/College: The first step is to search for colleges or universities which are offering courses in Philosophy or specialization of your interest. Check the fees, the seats offered eligibility criteria that are set for the course.

Apply for Course: Proceed to apply for admission after getting to know the university offering the program. Fill up the details as required and pay the application fee. The application forms are available for a limited period so the candidate is advised to know the details way in advance.

Mode of Admission: Universities and Colleges will either conduct entrance exams for admission or offer admission through merit. For postgraduate courses, the candidate will have to appear for an entrance exam.

Results: Selected and qualified candidates make the merit list. The student has to get the desired rank and percentage, to be eligible for admission.

Counseling: The candidate will have to appear for the counseling session conducted at the university to book their seat, submit their documents and pay the fees to seal admission.

Colleges Offering Philosophy

Read more: Check More Philosophy Colleges

Epistemology Job Profiles

There are various career opportunities that an Epistemology student can look into, the most preferred being academician. Most students who study Epistemology advance to colleges and university professors. Some of the other professions which students can opt for are 

Epistemology Top Recruiters

• Hindu College
• Madras Christian College
• Amity University
• Mphasis
• Eureka Forbes
• Chandigarh University
• AJ Solutions
• Siemens
• HP
• Dell
• Subex