Explaining Knowledge

The Gettier Problem has shaped most of the fundamental debates in epistemology for more than fifty years. Before Edmund Gettier published his famous 1963 paper, it was generally presumed that knowledge was equivalent to true belief supported by adequate evidence. Gettier presented a powerful challenge to that presumption. This led to the development and refinement of many prominent epistemological theories, for example, defeasibility theories, causal theories, conclusive-reasons theories, tracking theories, epistemic virtue theories, and knowledge-first theories. The debate about the appropriate use of intuition to provide evidence in all areas of philosophy began as a debate about the epistemic status of the 'Gettier intuition'. The differing accounts of epistemic luck are all rooted in responses to the Gettier Problem. The discussions about the role of false beliefs in the production of knowledge are directly traceable to Gettier's paper, as are the debates between fallibilists and infallibilists. Indeed, it is fair to say that providing a satisfactory response to the Gettier Problem has become a litmus test of any adequate account of knowledge even those accounts that hold that the Gettier Problem rests on mistakes of various sorts. This volume presents a collection of essays by twenty-six experts, including some of the most influential philosophers of our time, on the various issues that arise from Gettier's challenge to the analysis of knowledge. Explaining Knowledge sets the agenda for future work on the central problem of epistemology.

This pioneering text contributes to the theory and practice of teaching and learning. The purpose is to unlock how key stakeholders of the spectrum of pre-universities in Singapore make sense of "knowledge" and "knowledge work," and endeavour to determine how their understanding of "knowledge" shapes their understanding of "knowledge work" and the conditions that affect their knowledge work. This monograph contributes in a most productive fashion to the necessary educational debates on teaching and learning, which quickly segue into pragmatic political debates about what sort of society and global community we desire. Using three widely diverse pre-university settings in Singapore as case studies, this book seeks to fill the existing gap by elucidating educators' and students' identification of knowledge, knowledge work and the problems and challenges confronting knowledge work. Contents: IntroductionMethodology/ Research ProceduresLiterature ReviewThe OrgPoly Case StudyThe OrgJC Case StudyThe VocInst Case StudyAnalysing the Three Case Studies Discussion and ImplicationsConclusion and Direction Readership: School administrators, educators and researchers focusing on the significance of values on educational practices, and the theory and practice of teaching and learning. Keywords: Knowledge;Epistemic;Teaching and Learning;Singapore;Pre-University;Educator;Student;Case StudyReview: Key Features: This is a pioneering text that delves into the knowledge work at pre-universities in SingaporeThe findings that are presented as three multi-case studies (based on findings gathered from 56 interviews, supplemented by surveys, field notes and reflections obtained from classroom observations and document records) in Singapore's pre-universities serve as evidence that shows the close interrelationships between the values and related educational practices in each site, which both enable and constrain thinking about and engagement in knowledge workIt is apparent that the epistemic positions are embedded in institutional cultures, and hence can only be understood adequately only if they are studied in the context of its carriers (the teachers and students themselves and the processes in the schools) and the interaction of those carriers with the larger social environment. Major implications that flow from this study's findings is discussed in the book

The first comprehensive exploration of the nature and value of understanding, addressing burgeoning debates in epistemology and philosophy of science.

This book enriches our understanding of knowledge and Gettier's challenge, stimulating debate on a central epistemological issue.

"This book discusses issues related to visualization of scientific concepts, picturing processes and products, as well as the role of computing in the advancement of visual literacy skills"--

This book contributes to an improved understanding of knowledge-intensive business services and knowledge management issues. It offers a complex overview of literature devoted to these topics and introduces the concept of ‘knowledge flows’, which constitutes a missing link in the previous knowledge management theories. The book provides a detailed analysis of knowledge flows, with their types, relations and factors influencing them. It offers a novel approach to understand the aspects of knowledge and its management not only inside the organization, but also outside, in its environment.

Looking at knowledge as a shared resource: experts discuss how to define, protect, and build the knowledge commons in the digital age. Knowledge in digital form offers unprecedented access to information through the Internet but at the same time is subject to ever-greater restrictions through intellectual property legislation, overpatenting, licensing, overpricing, and lack of preservation. Looking at knowledge as a commons—as a shared resource—allows us to understand both its limitless possibilities and what threatens it. In Understanding Knowledge as a Commons, experts from a range of disciplines discuss the knowledge commons in the digital era—how to conceptualize it, protect it, and build it. Contributors consider the concept of the commons historically and offer an analytical framework for understanding knowledge as a shared social-ecological system. They look at ways to guard against enclosure of the knowledge commons, considering, among other topics, the role of research libraries, the advantages of making scholarly material available outside the academy, and the problem of disappearing Web pages. They discuss the role of intellectual property in a new knowledge commons, the open access movement (including possible funding models for scholarly publications), the development of associational commons, the application of a free/open source framework to scientific knowledge, and the effect on scholarly communication of collaborative communities within academia, and offer a case study of EconPort, an open access, open source digital library for students and researchers in microeconomics. The essays clarify critical issues that arise within these new types of commons—and offer guideposts for future theory and practice. Contributors David Bollier, James Boyle, James C. Cox, Shubha Ghosh, Charlotte Hess, Nancy Kranich, Peter Levine, Wendy Pradt Lougee, Elinor Ostrom, Charles Schweik, Peter Suber, J. Todd Swarthout, Donald Waters