PY 101 - Knowledge and Reality

Credit Hours: 3

An introductory course in theories of knowledge and reality. Topics will include justification of beliefs, theories of truth and meaning, relationships between beliefs, and meaning and reality.

Fulfills SUNY General Education – Humanities.

Course Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

describe Locke’s view concerning abstract general ideas, and describe Berkeley’s view concerning abstract general ideas, explaining their reasons for their respective positions;
describe Hume’s distinction between impressions and ideas. Relate Hume’s very important “ideas” that are not ideas to what Kant called “concepts”;
describe Hume’s analysis of causation;
describe the Goodman Paradox;
define knowledge, including the Gettier condition; and
explain the use of the word knowledge when applied to beliefs that are also agreed to be “not really knowledge”.

F/S (C, N, S)