Plato Aristotle Epistemology of Knowledge
Plato and Aristotle – Epistemology of Knowledge Plato and Aristotle are credited with laying the foundation stones of Western Philosophy. ... In particular, they had different points of view on knowledge and where it came from, how it could be acquired, the certainty and the use of knowledge. The Sources of Knowledge Plato is considered to be a rationalist and a realist. His contention is that knowledge derives from reasoning and it comes from observation and experience independent of the senses. ... Plato believes that we reason independent of the senses and that intuition or inner vision are the sources of true knowledge. ... In addition, knowledge is always truth and quite different from opinion. ... ” We do not know things that we believe are false therefore we can arrive at the conclusion that knowing something, or knowledge, involves truth. Plato also affirms that knowledge is enduring because it is backed up by reason. ... Unlike knowledge, opinions can be easily swayed by rhetoric and do not necessarily “remain in place. ... In short, Plato contends that knowledge is enduring, always true, backed up by reason and the result of instruction. Aristotle is considered to be a common sense philosopher. He says that knowledge begins with seeing, touching and hearing the things of the world. Empirical knowledge is the only knowledge one can have. According to Aristotle, we reason based on our experience with the senses.