Definition, Sources, and Evolution of the Concept
The root word of epistemology is episteme, which in ancient Greek meant knowledge; hence, it can be defined as the philosophical basis of knowledge. The foundational question of epistemology is how we know what we know. Epistemology is a branch of philosophy that goes to the roots of our knowledge by asking not just the methods of acquiring knowledge but also to examine the conditions and the context of knowledge generation. Epistemological questions, in simple terms, are meta-methodological questions. That is one has to go beyond the issues of methodology and ask questions such as the presuppositions of the methods and the methodological choices. As one may ask how we know what we know, one can also ask: Why do we prefer quantitative methodology and not qualitative methodology while studying a given subject? Is it because the intrinsic characteristics of the subject matter demand quantitative or that it corresponds with the qualitative...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Alatas SH (1974) The captive mind and creative development. Int Soc Sci J 26(4):691–700
Anderson E (1995) Feminist epistemology: an interpretation and a defense. Hypatia 10(3):5–84
Anyanwu KC (1983) The African experience in the American market place a scaring indictment of western scholars and their distortion of African culture. Exposition Press, New York
Bhaskar R (1975) A realist theory of science. Routledge, London
Bhaskar R (1989, 2010) Reclaiming reality. Routledge, London
Friedrichs RW (1970) A sociology of sociology. Free Press, New York
Geertz C (1973) Thick description: toward an interpretative theory of culture. In: The interpretation of cultures. Basic Books, New York
Goonatilake S (1982) Crippled minds: an exploration into colonial culture. Vikas, New Delhi
Guha R (ed) (1981) Subaltern studies 1. Oxford University Press, New Delhi
Halberg M (2011) Feminist epistemology: an impossible project? Radic Philos Q 1:53
Harding S (1993) The science question in feminism. Cornell University Press, Ithaca
Heidelberg RL (2018) Getting it right: public administration undergoing epistemology. Adm Theory Praxis 40(1):23–42
Kaphagawani DN, Malherbe JG (1998) African epistemology. In: Coetzee PH, Roux APJ (eds) The African philosophy reader. Routledge, London
Kuhn T (1970) The structure of scientific revolutions. University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Prigogine I (1997) End of certainty. Heinemann, London
Prigogine I, Stengers I (1984) Order out of chaos. Heinemann, London
Rorty R (1980) Philosophy and the mirror of nature. Basil Blackwell, Oxford, UK
Said E (1978) Orientalism. Pantheon, New York
Udefi A (2014) The rationale for an African epistemology: a critical examination of the Igbo views on knowledge, belief, and justification. Can Soc Sci 10(3):108–117. https://doi.org/10.3968/4445. Available from: http://www.cscanada.net/index.php/css/article/view/4445
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Khondker, H.H. (2021). Epistemology. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_411-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_411-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-31816-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-31816-5
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Economics and FinanceReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences