knowledge versus opinion

7/31/2019 Knowledge Versus Opinion

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Opinion versus

Knowledge

By

Shumaila Hameed MP/2012-07



Ontology (metaphysics) – What is

real?Ethics – What is right or wrong?

Aesthetics – What is beauty?

Epistemology – What is knowledge?

Branches of Philosophy



Epistemology

What is “Epistemology?”The study of the nature, source, limits, and validity of knowledge.

It is interested in developing criteria for evaluating claimspeople make that they “know” something.

Central questions:• What is knowledge?

• What is the difference betweenknowledge and opinion or belief?• It you know something does that mean that you are certain about it?

• Is knowledge really possible?



Definitions

Knowledge is "justified (i.e., verified) true belief."

To know is to believe.

The belief must, in fact, be true.The belief must be "justified" (i.e., verified, proved) by some

standard and generally recognized means.

Opinion is belief that may be true or may be false but

that has not been or cannot be "justified" (i.e., verified,proved) by any standard and generally recognized

means.



State of Mind Object Access

Knowledge What is Intellect

(Being, Reality)

Opinion What is & is not Perception

(Becoming)

Ignorance What is not ?

(Nothingness,

Unreality)

Plato’s view of knowledge, ignorance,

and opinion



Types of Opinion and Knowledge

Opinion

Valid Opinion

Faulty Opinion

Knowledge

Revealed Knowledge

Intuitive Knowledge

Rational Knowledge

Empirical Knowledge

Authoritative Knowledge



Opinion vs. Knowledge

Knowledge vs. Opinion again:

Opinion:

• Is changeable

• Can be true or false

• Is not backed up by reasons

• Is the result of persuasion

Knowledge:

• Is constant

• Is always true

• Is backed up by reasons

• Is the result of instruction


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/knowledge-versus-opinion 10/20CONTD.

Criteria for distinguishing between

knowledge and opinion

1st Criteria: Doubt and believe are relative only toopinion, never to knowledge.

Knowledge: 2+2=4:

a. I know this; I don‟t doubt it; I cannot even properlysay that I believe it.

b. I don‟t disbelieve that 2+2 equals 4; I know it.

Opinion: “TV is best mean of entertainment” a. Some people doubt it;

b. some may believe it;

c. no one knows it to be true.





1. “There is always a state of war, either a cold or a hot war betweensovereign nations.”

a. Anyone who thinks for a moment will see this is trueb. Everyone understands it to be true.

2. “There will be another World War in the next 5 years.”

a. No one actually knows.b. At best it is a probable prediction.

c. Some people may believe it and some may doubt it, but it isnot a statement of knowledge.



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3rd Criteria: We can only have freedom of thought only

about matters of opinion.

In matters of opinion everyone has a right to their ownopinion but no one ever says this about knowledge.

I don‟t say, “I have a right to my own knowledge.”

2+2 = 4. Do I have freedom of thought here?4th Criteria: Matters of opinion are subject to conflict,

knowledge is not.



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5th Criteria that differentiates between knowledge and opinionis consensus.

1. It is only with respect to opinion that we mention abouttaking a consensus. In fact, we say a consensus of opinion, majority opinion, minority opinion, expert

opinion, inexpert opinion.

2. We never say the “majority knowledge” as opposed to“minority knowledge or “expert knowledge” as

opposed to “inexpert knowledge.”



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We know nothing; everything is amatter of opinion? „And we mustn‟t befooled,‟ he says, „by the feelings

which we sometimes have of certainty,‟ the feeling that the things isperfectly clear and sure for us.”



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David Hume says that we do have

knowledge, but at best, it is highlyprobable opinion that consists in theexperimental sciences. Thus,because it is probable, it is opinion,not knowledge.



Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)

The question how knowledge should be defined

is perhaps the most important and difficult of the

three with which we shall deal. This may seemsurprising: at first sight it might be thought that

knowledge might be defined as belief which is in

agreement with the facts. The trouble is that no

one knows what a belief is, no one knows what afact is, and no one knows what sort of

agreement between them would make a belief

true. Let us begin with belief. 16



Rationale For Knowledge

Anyone who argues that everything is a matter

of opinion, can‟t defend his case withoutestablishing that his view is knowledge. It is

self-defeating.



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Conclusion:

Therefore, an opinion is not

knowledge, nor is knowledge thatof one’s own opinion.



ReferencesHoffmann, T. Plato — Knowledge vs. Opinion.

http://faculty.cua.edu/hoffmann/courses/201_1068/Plato-6%20knowledge%20and%20opinion.pdf

Kneller, J. Introduction to Philosophy of Education.

Nicholas,A. (2003). Theory of Knowledge, London. John Murrey.Russell, R (1926). Theory of Knowledge: Encyclopaedia

Britannica

http://www.marxits.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/en/r

ussell1.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge



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