epistemology
Pronunciation:
/ɛˌpɪstiːˈmɔlədʒi//ɪˌpɪstəˈmɒlədʒi//iˌpɪstəˈmɑlədʒi/noun
Definitions
The branch of philosophy dealing with the study of knowledge; theory of knowledge, asking such questions as "What is knowledge?", "How is knowledge acquired?", "What do people know?", "How do we know what we know?".
Example: Some thinkers take the view that, beginning with the work of Descartes, epistemology began to replace metaphysics as the most important area of philosophy.
A particular theory of knowledge.
Example: In his epistemology, Plato maintains that our knowledge of universal concepts is a kind of recollection.