An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge

by Dan O'Brien

An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge guides the reader through the key issues and debates in contemporary epistemology. Lucid, comprehensive and accessible, it is an ideal textbook for students who are new to the subject and for university undergraduates. The book is divided into five parts. Part I discusses the concept of knowledge and distinguishes between different types of knowledge. Part II surveys the sources of knowledge, considering both a priori and a posteriori knowledge. Parts III and IV provide an in-depth discussion of justification and scepticism. The final part of the book examines our alleged knowledge of the past, other minds, morality and God. O'Brien uses engaging examples throughout the book, taking many from literature and the cinema. He explains complex issues, such as those concerning the private language argument, non-conceptual content, and the new riddle of induction, in a clear and accessible way. This textbook is an invaluable guide to contemporary epistemology.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published November 20, 2006

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Dan has a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Birmingham and has previously taught at Birmingham, Keele and Warwick Universities. His current research interests include David Hume, the epistemology of testimony and trust, and conceptions of the divine mind. He is the founder and organizer of the Oxford Hume Forum and the annual Brookes International Hume Workshop. This year he is also the leader of a research group on intellectual humility and in 2016 he will lead a research cluster on special divine action. He is currently supervising two research students working in the philosophy of mind and cognitive science.

Reviews

[یاسر میردامادی · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very lucid, clear and up to date introduction to analytic epistemology. Of the particular interest is the frequent and to-the-point references to movies.

[Richard Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

2019 update : I have just re-read this book, several years after my initial review - mainly because I will be studying epistemology again from September and I wanted an easy way to remind myself of the concepts. Not a deep study, but a good introductory overview which will help me get back into to trickier texts which come next!
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I wavered when writing this between 5 stars and 4, but plumped for all 5. This is a brilliantly written book. Philosophy is often hard work, but too many philosophers make even simple concepts hard work to understand. The author has created a really easy-to-read introduction, but easy-to-read does not mean lightweight. Thorough, although, and this is my one caveat, not on its own, sufficient for an undergraduate Epistemology course. However, if you want a friendly place to start - this is it

[Louise Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The clearest and easiest guide to Epistemology you will ever read. Well done that man.

[Tijmen Lansdaal · Rating 3 out of 5]

O'Brien's work provides you with a lot of stepping stones, stimulating you to think about a number of issues and supplying you with just the right references to works by other authors. It works as a good introduction, but other than that it cannot be thought of as a very satisfying work in itself. There's obviously nothing new to be found, and arguably, there's a lot of really good philosophy missing. O'Brien for instance has a completely ridiculous account of a priori knowledge. His opinions, in so far as they are outed, come across as predictable (scientistic and realistic) and unsatisfactory (vulnerable to deep scepticism). Therefore, his accounts, although accessible, come across as deeply restricted and biased. Nonetheless, the knowledge surrounding these discussions and questions is evident, and the topic remains one of the most challenging debates in philosophy.

[Nathan Ormond · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very wide overview of epistemology.

[Chester Bolton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great until the ending when he declares that atheism is the truth

[Deniz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a treatment of the subject that tries to be thorough as an introduction. Lots of hints are dropped around specific viewpoints without going into too much depth. For example, Karl Popper is discussed for just one page. The exercises at the end of each section are probably worth spending more time on than I did. I'm rating this book 4 stars rather than 3 because I think I have a far better understanding of epistemology now than I did before reading the book, though I am somewhat dismayed that many fundamental questions are unresolved. For instance, I would have, in my naïveté, liked to see a more satisfying answer to what justification means and what it could look like in practice.

[Sebastião · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trata-se de uma obra que cumpre plenamente os objetivos aos quais se propõe, fornecendo uma primeira introdução à Filosofia do Conhecimento. A abordagem nem sempre prima pelo rigor científico propriamente dito e parece, muitas vezes, que se destina mais ao leitor jovem das humanidades com uma pobre formação em ciências. Todavia, é inegável que o resultado final é um texto interessante, pontuado com referências literárias e cinematográficas oportunas (na maioria das vezes) e que fornece, de facto, um quadro abrangente do “estado da arte”, um ponto de partida excelente para estudos mais aprofundados.

[Mahmoud El · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is very precise, easy, and kinda comprehensive to contemporary discourse in epistemology and suitable for people even without any philosophical background as it's heavily loaded with everyday examples. Highly recommended.