Epistemology
is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature and means of human
knowledge. The field lays out the rules
and principles to guide the formation of concepts, the construction of logic,
and generally how to gain knowledge and show its validity. Objectivism holds that metaphysics and
epistemology combined are the theoretical base of any philosophy.[1]
There is
a little more context needed than metaphysics to fully confront the issues in
epistemology. We must first discuss 2 topics that make the field of
epistemology possible: sense-perception and volition (free will). I’ll also cover the axiomatic concept of “self”
at the end of this series, as I think it’s a subject that needs to be discussed
for a complete understanding of Objectivism.
Now we
can begin with the role and validity of human sensory-perception.
