Philosophy - Validity of Knowledge

1. Chapter 3:
Man and His
Knowledge
Continuation

2. The Validity of Knowledge

3. The Validity of Knowledge
• What should be the basis for validity of
true knowledge?
• What is Truth?
• In Philosophy, there are four ways on
testing the validity of human knowledge.

4. The Validity of Knowledge
• Conformity Theory of Truth
• Coherence Theory of Truth
• Pragmatic Theory of Truth
• Marxist Theory of Truth

5. The Validity of Knowledge
• Conformity of Truth
-maintains that truth is what corresponds or
conforms to existent facts of nature, the
actual state of affairs and objective
realities.

6. The Validity of Knowledge
• Coherence Theory of Truth
-knowledge is valid if it is consistent and is in
harmony with other ideas, statements or
concepts.

7. The Validity of Knowledge
• Pragmatic Theory of Truth
”Everything in the world is relative, the worth
of ideas, doctrine, principles, and practices
depends on how they function in a given
situation. If they work well, they may be
judged as true, good, right, and beautiful; if
they do not work well, they may be judged
as false, evil, wrong, ugly, etc.”
-William James

8. The Validity of Knowledge
• Marxist Theory of Truth
“Truth is not in what it is, but in what it ought
to be.”
-Herbert Marcuse
-Truth is achieved as a matter of practice or
praxis.

9. Truth and Reality

10. Truth and Reality
Opinions we hold are true when they assert
that which is, is, or that that which is not, is
not, and that our opinions are false when
they assert that that which is, is not, or that
is not, is.
-Plato and Aristotle

11. Truth and Reality
• According to Plato and Aristotle
Plato: True knowledge must be something
that is real , permanent, unchanging, nor
is capable of being changed, since truth
always remains the same. True
knowledge constitutes the rel, not the
physical things of the universe, and is
known only through one's reason, not
through one's senses or perception.

12. Truth and Reality
• According to Plato and Aristotle
Aristotle: The ultimate nature, or essence of
material things are also real, as well as
their concepts, and, therefore, the study of
the physical, material or tangible world
could also reveal true knowledge.

13. Truth and Reality
• Rationalist view
Descartes: Considered reason to be
superior to sense perception as source of
true knowledge.
Truth is regarded as static, inert, and
unchanging.

14. Truth and Reality
• Empiricist view
F. Bacon, J. Locke, G. Berkeley, D. Hume:
Measurement for testing what was true
knowledge was that it must be based upon
sense perception. Things which are not
verifiable by the senses become
unknowable.

15. Truth and Reality
• Idealist view
Emerson: Although the truth of the physical
world is learned through the senses, the
truth of the spiritual world is found through
the power of reason.
Hegel: reality and all of man's experiences,
originated in the Mind of the Absolute,
giving reality its rational and spiritual
concept that it is knowable through reason.

16. Truth and Reality
• Phenomenologist view
Husserl: Reality is the consciousness of the
mind, by which one is aware of his
sensations, emotions, thoughts, ideas and
all that he perceives.

17. Truth and Reality
• Pragmatist view
William James: Reality is determined by
one's beliefs at a particular time, and that
beliefs determine one's action.
True Ideas are those that can be
assimilated, validated, corroborated,and
verified.

18. Prepared by:
• BEA JANELLE M. MACALALAD
III-4 BEEd
Philosophical Analysis
• (Report Presentation)