Epistemology

Epistemology, meaning "knowledge, science", and logos, meaning "study of" is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and scope (limitations) of knowledge. It addresses the questions:

• • What is knowledge?

  • How is knowledge acquired?

  • How do we know what we know?

Much of the debate in this field has focused on analyzing the nature of knowledge and how it relates to connected 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.

The term was introduced by the Scottish philosopher James Frederick Ferrier (1808–1864).

In physics, the concept of epistemology is vital in the modern interpretation of quantum mechanics, and is used by many authors to analyse the works of dominant physicists such as Werner Heisenberg, Niels Bohr, Max Born and Wolfgang Pauli.