There is a word most of us never hear but that occupies us almost every waking minute -- epistemology. It is the investigation of, in brief, "how we know what we know." How do we come to conclusions about what is true and what is not? We have implicit theories of knowledge whether we like it or not. By bringing them to the surface and making them explicit, we can see if it is a sensible process likely to lead us to truth.
- Epistemology comes from the Greek epistēmē, meaning "knowledge or science," and logos or -logy, meaning "the study of").
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Epistemology is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and limitations of knowledge. It addresses the questions:
- What is knowledge?
- How is knowledge acquired?
- How do we know what we know?
In short, it is the search for truth. Much of the debate in this field of study has focused on analyzing (taking apart, breaking down, or deconstruction) the nature of knowledge and how it relates to notions such as truth, belief, and justification. It also deals with the means of production of knowledge, as well as skepticism about different knowledge claims. How does the Buddha and Buddhism approach this search or quest. The highest good is finding truth, and the highest truth is nirvana. But nirvana is not a thing (noun) so much as a process (verb). It is not to be found by thought but to be experienced. How do we find the way to nirvana or a teacher?
Bhante Gunaratana (BhavanaSociety.org)
- The Buddha (AN 1:9).
File Size: 22 MB
Duration: 1:30:00
Recorded: 9-28-07
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