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Epistemology

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Encyclopedia of Science Education

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Synonyms

Cognition, social, and institutional processes; Inquiry; NOS (nature of science); Scientific methods

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that addresses questions involving our ideal cognitive aims and achievements, which include knowledge, justification, explanation, understanding, and wisdom. Epistemology is distinct from the two other branches of philosophy, i.e., metaphysics (which deals with questions of existence, reality, and ontology) and ethics (which deals with questions of moral value and right action). The kinds of questions considered by epistemologists include the following: What are knowledge, justification, explanation, understanding, and wisdom? Can these epistemic aims be attained? If so, how might these epistemic aims be attained? These questions thus concern our cognitive relations and access to the world and so explore the various sources of human knowledge, including perception, memory, reason, testimony, intuition, introspection, revelation, and...

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References

  • Chinn CA, Buckland LA, Samarapungavan A (2011) Expanding the dimensions of epistemic cognition: arguments from philosophy and psychology. Educ Psychol 46:141–167

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  • Hofer BK, Pintrich PR (1997) The development of epistemological theories: beliefs about knowledge and knowing and their relation to learning. Rev Educ Res 67:88–140

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  • Moser PK (2002) The Oxford handbook of epistemology. Oxford University Press, Oxford

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  • Perry WG Jr (1999) Forms of intellectual and ethical development in the college years: a scheme. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco. Original work published 1968

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rutgers Graduate School of Education, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Luke Buckland

  2. Department of Educational Psychology, Rutgers Graduate School of Education, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Clark Chinn

Authors
  1. Luke Buckland
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  2. Clark Chinn
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Correspondence to Luke Buckland .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Monash University Fac. Education, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

    Richard Gunstone

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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Buckland, L., Chinn, C. (2014). Epistemology. In: Gunstone, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Science Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6165-0_256-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6165-0_256-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6165-0

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