Epistemology: A Contemporary Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge, 3rd Edition

Audi does a fantastic job here introducing the concepts and criteria in current philosophical discussions on epistemology. He presents the terms used in contemporary discourse, different positions advocated today,and the limits and benefits of each. Particularly interest to me was his chapter on scientific, moral, and religious knowledge where he explains the limits of each and yet demonstrates that they each have plausible claims in a real sense. Overall, he doesn't push a specific theory, but he does acknowledge that he would advocate a moderate realist position. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone with some exposure to philosophy and an interest in the theory of knowledge.

Dr. Audi does a great job in providing a solid groundwork for understanding epistemology; I'd recommend it, as it's super readable and an absolute pleasure. (Also, I really liked that skepticism was handled at the end, after delving into what could provide justification, truth, and knowledge. The book has a great structure.)

Robert Audi is one of the central figures in contemporary epistemology. His thorough introduction to the field is the work of someone who has put much thought into the subject. Simplified, part one covers theories of perception, possible sources of knowledge, and reason. Part two covers inference and theories of the architecture of knowledge, such as foundationalism and coherentism. Part three finally analyzes what knowledge is, the internalism/externalism debate, important types of knowledge (scientific, moral, and religious), and skepticism. Good #1: The book is structured very well. It begins with sources of knowledge, going from there to how knowledge from these sources can be extended by inference and how this knowledge is structured. Next, it analyzes what exactly makes beliefs knowledge by exploring the contemporary debate on justification and how we can have certain other types of knowledge (scientific, moral, and religious). Finally, the book ends by providing and overview and response to epistemological skepticism. Good #2: Audi uses thought experiments that makes the material easier to understand. Good #3: The book can serve as a great reference work after it has been read. He provides definitions and basic principles in epistemology that one can go back to over and over again. Good #4: Audi sums up views he opposes charitably while still managing to disagree with them in a way that you know you're getting an intro to contemporary epistemology instead of an intro to Audi's epistemology. Bad #1: Although much of the book is accessible, Audi's sentences can sometimes be long and tiring. Someone without much background in epistemology may very well get lost among some of the long sentences with multiple commas. This is my only complaint. In short, this book is a great intro to a sometimes daunting subject.

I love that HPB has so many locations. It means the books I'm looking for are always available.

Robert Audi has produced an incredibly comprehensive tome regarding epistemology--the theory of knowledge-- here. It is as rich in substance as it is enjoyable to read. Audi covers a multitude of topics that are the focal point of contemporary philosophy and comes out the other end holding firm to a sort of moderate realism--a view that resonates with this reader. Many of the topics and questions that Audi expounds are as follows: -What constitutes justification? -What constitutes knowledge? -Is justification required for one to have knowledge? -How is knowledge obtained through perception? -How is knowledge obtained through memory? -How is knowledge obtained through consciousness? -Is there a priori knowledge? -Which is more tenable, Foundationalism or Coherentism? -Externalism vs Internalism -Does scientific knowledge really constitute knowledge? -Can religious knowledge be obtained? -Does knowledge necessitate certainty? -If our knowledge is fallible does this open the door to skepticism? Audi illuminates quite satisfying answers to these questions and many more. What makes this book so fruitful is Audi's ability to bring difficult topics to the level of the beginner and amateur of philosophy (me!). Many times, in order to expound a theory more clearly, Audi utilizes certain examples and illustrations that advance the reader's comprehension. Sometimes when I had passed a section of the book and had almost forgotten how Audi argued for a specific view in that section I would consider an illustration he expounded and my understanding was re-grounded. This book is the best introduction to epistemology one could ask for. Audi is clear, enlightening, and enjoying. Anyone interested in epistemology must read this book-there is no better an introduction.

The grammar and sentence structure are really hard to follow. There seem to be a lot of tangents the author entertains as he writes each sentence and it is really distracting from the point. Almost every sentence has more then one thought divided by lots and lots of commas.

I wanted to like this book. I wanted to love it. But 100 pages in I realize I have better things to do with my time. I cannot comment on the concepts of the book because I cannot get past the sentence structures. They are so fragmented the book reads like a broken stream of consciousness, or some kind of rambling, inner decision-making process that loses itself. If there is to be a 4th edition, I recommend enlisting a competent editor who enforces the rule: At most, one comma per sentence. The hope here is that this restriction will help the author focus on what he means to say and strip off the tangential asides. And thus get some kind of point across. I admit that I am not the brightest person in the world. It may be that I just don't 'get it'. For potential buyers, I will offer two examples to show where my brain falls. You can determine where your brain falls and then decide if this book is a good match for you. First Example: From the back cover: "... Robert Audi's Epistemology, Third Edition, is the most authoritative, comprehensive, and state-of-the-art textbook in the field. In clear, masterful prose, Audi covers all the main topics in epistemology... Every student of epistemology-- new and old-- should read this book." -Peter Graham, University of California, Riverside. My level of intelligence understands everything Graham has stated. I understand it enough that I disagree with him on the 'clear, master prose' claim. The prose is not clear. It is not masterful. (To me.) After 100 pages I have concluded I should not read this book-- despite the fact that I am a new student of epistemology. Second Example: From the text page 76: "If, for instance, I do not in fact remember meeting Jane, perhaps the only reason why I do not is that it was her identical twin, of whose existence I had no idea, whom I met. That excusable ignorance may prevent my knowing that I met Jane, but it does not preclude my justifiedly believing that I did." I understand Jane, the twin, mistaken identity and all that. But if I do not remember meeting her, how can I be justified that I believe I did...? Granted, one has to know what is meant by 'knowing' and 'justifiedly believing' to really swag a guess here. But after reading the book-- and taking notes in an attempt to makes sense of if-- I am at a loss on the point the author tries to make. I may have failed as the student here. But there is failure on the teacher's side as well. The transfer of knowledge hit-to-miss ratio for this book favors miss (at least for the first 100 pages). I'd gladly sacrifice half the masterful prose for some diagrams. Show me what you are trying to say. What you are saying (how you are saying it) is not getting across.

For full disclosure, I purchased this book for a college course. In terms of content it is an informative text on the subjext of epistemology. The subject itself (as a early learning philosophy student) can be a little dense, and the book itself is also dense to get through. I would not recommend this text for beginner philosophers, but for those with who have tackled meta ethics, this text can be a comfortable read.

Love these editions! Have also purchased Philosophy of Mind and Phenomenology! Nice little collection to build up!

Well written

Non c'è nessuna pecca da rilevare: la consegna è avvenuta nei tempi previsti, il libro era in ottimo stato, sono stato felice di riceverlo. Grazie.

Além de ser uma ótima introdução, o livro é uma excelente fonte de consulta. Sem contar que o autor é um dos mais respeitados no tema. Vale a pena ler!

Good for to start and learn the enigmatic and neglected topic.