# Outline of epistemology

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to epistemology:
Epistemology (aka theory of knowledge) – branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. The term was introduced into English by the Scottish philosopher James Frederick Ferrier (1808–1864). Epistemology asks questions such as: "What is knowledge?", "How is knowledge acquired?", and "What do people know?"

## Core topics of epistemology

* Knowledge
** Sources of knowledge (Pramana in Sanskrit)
*** Perception
*** Memory
*** Introspection
*** Inference
*** Testimony
** Types of knowledge
*** Descriptive knowledge – "Knowledge that"
*** Procedural knowledge – "Knowledge how"
*** Knowledge by acquaintance
** A priori and a posteriori
** Analytic–synthetic distinction
** Gettier problem
* Justification
** Regress argument
*** Münchhausen trilemma
** Theories of justification
*** Foundationalism – Basic beliefs justify other, non-basic beliefs.
*** Coherentism – Beliefs are justified if they cohere with other beliefs a person holds, each belief is justified if it coheres with the overall system of beliefs.
*** Infinitism – Beliefs are justified by infinite chains of reasons.
*** Foundherentism – Both fallible foundations and coherence are components of justification—proposed by Susan Haack.
*** Internalism and externalism – The believer must be able to justify a belief through internal knowledge (internalism), or outside sources of knowledge can be used to justify a belief (externalism).
*** Innatism – The mind is born with knowledge.
*** Reformed epistemology – Beliefs are warranted by proper cognitive function—proposed by Alvin Plantinga.
*** Evidentialism – Beliefs depend solely on the evidence for them.
*** Reliabilism – A belief is justified if it is the result of a reliable process.
*** Infallibilism – Knowledge is incompatible with the possibility of being wrong.
*** Fallibilism – Claims can be accepted even though they cannot be conclusively proven or justified.
*** Non-justificationism – Knowledge is produced by attacking claims and refuting them instead of justifying them.
** Falsification (Falsifiability)
** Proof (truth)
*** Standard of proof
* Truth
** Criteria of truth
* Belief
** Belief revision
* Virtue epistemology
** Unity of knowledge and action

## Schools of thought

* Empiricism
* Rationalism
* Epistemological skepticism
* Pragmatism
* Naturalized epistemology
* Contextualism
* Relativism
* Constructivist epistemology
* Idealism
* Bayesian epistemology
* Feminist epistemology
* Innatism
* Naïve realism
* Phenomenalism
* Positivism
* Critical rationalism

## Domains of inquiry in epistemology

* Formal epistemology – subdiscipline of epistemology that uses formal methods from logic, probability theory and computability theory to elucidate traditional epistemic problems
** Computational epistemology
* Historical epistemology – study of the historical conditions of, and changes in, different kinds of knowledge
* Meta-epistemology – metaphilosophical study of the subject, matter, methods and aims of epistemology and of approaches to understanding and structuring knowledge of knowledge itself
* Social epistemology – study of collective knowledge and the social dimensions of knowledge

## Related fields

* Philosophy of science
* Sociology of knowledge