Theory of knowledge is the doctrine of the process of accumulating new knowledge and how humanity comprehends the world around us and the causal relationships that operate in it. No one doubts that from generation to generation we pass on to our descendants an increasing amount of knowledge. Old truths are supplemented by new discoveries in various fields: science, art, in the sphere of everyday life. Thus, cognition is a mechanism of social communication and continuity.
But, on the other hand, many concepts expressed by authoritative scientists and seemed immutable, after some time showed their inconsistency. Let us recall at least the geocentric system of the Universe, which was refuted by Copernicus. In this regard, a logical question arises: can we be completely sure that our knowledge of being is true? to this question andtries to answer the theory of knowledge. Philosophy (or rather, its section that studies this issue, epistemology) considers the processes that occur during the comprehension of the macrocosm and microcosm.
This science develops in the same way as other branches, comes into contact with them, takes something from them and, in turn, gives back. The theory of knowledge sets itself a rather difficult, almost insoluble task: to understand with the human brain exactly how it works. This activity is somewhat reminiscent of the story of Baron Mnnhausen, and it can be compared with the famous attempt to "lift oneself by the hair." Therefore, to the question of whether we know something about the world immutably, as always, there are three answers: optimistic, pessimistic and rationalistic.
The theory of knowledge inevitably faces the problem of the theoretical possibility of knowing the absolute truth, and therefore should think about the criteria for identifying this category. Does it exist at all, or are all our ideas about it in the highest degree relative, changeable, incomplete? Optimists are sure that our knowledge does not fail us. Hegel, the most prominent representative of this trend in epistemology, argued that being will inevitably reveal itself to us in order to show us its riches and let us enjoy them. And the progress of science is clear evidence of this.
This view is opposed by agnostics. They deny the possibility of being knowable, arguing that we comprehend the world around us with our sensations. Thus, cognitive inferences about anything are just speculation. And about whatthe true state of affairs - the theory of knowledge does not know, since we are all hostages of our senses, and objects and phenomena are revealed to us only in the form in which their images are refracted in the prism of our perception of reality. The concept of agnosticism is most fully expressed in epistemological relativism - the doctrine of the absolute variability of events, phenomena, facts.
The theory of knowledge of skepticism goes back to ancient wisdom. Aristotle suggested that one who wishes to know clearly must doubt greatly. This trend does not deny the possibility of comprehending the world in principle, like agnosticism, but it calls not to be so gullible to the knowledge, dogmas and seemingly immutable facts that we already have. By methods of "verification" or "falsification" it is possible to separate the wheat from the chaff and, in the end, to know the truth.
