Who are the epistemologists?

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​I doubt Byron Katie would describe herself as an epistemologist (I’ve never even asked if she knows the term). But when it comes to examining the truth or falsehood of the everyday beliefs that shape our lives, she absolutely fits the role. In practice, she is an epistemologist.

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The first two questions in her "four questions plus a turnaround" process, when examining a belief that seems to be associated with our suffering, are:

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"Is that true?"

And, if answered "yes," then "Are you absolutely sure it's true?"

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The most fundamental branches of philosophy

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ChatGPT lists these as the branches of philosophy:​

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1. Metaphysics – the study of reality and existence

2. Epistemology – the study of knowledge and belief

3. Ethics – the study of morality and right/wrong

4. Logic – the study of reasoning and argument

5. Aesthetics – the study of beauty and art

6. Political Philosophy – the study of government, justice, and rights

7. Philosophy of Mind – the study of consciousness and the mind-body problem

8. Philosophy of Language – the study of meaning, language, and communication

9. Philosophy of Science – the study of scientific methods and principles

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Although it separates out "logic" from "epistemology," "logic" as a sub-part of "epistemology."

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I submit that epistemology is the most fundamental of all these branches. To the extent that our operational epistemology is off, the conclusions of the other branches are likely to be off.

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"The 14:24 Guest House," addresses the domain of ethics

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However, in addressing ethics, I rely fundamentally on epistemology. It would be possible that I could limit almost all of the content of the (current) 1600+ suites, karaoke rooms, and corridors in this Guest House to just the question (and variations of it), "How do you know that?"

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Distinction Coaching

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I have even had entire coaching sessions with clients in which I would just listen to what they said and interrupt them with questions like, "In that last sentence, ...

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...what evidence do you have that '...you had to...'?"

...did you get curious about and ask them about what benefits they were trying to get by lying to you?"

...I'm not at all clear what you meant when you said, '...I should try harder'?"

...when you said, '...I'll think about that', did you stop ask yourself if thinking about it was likely to get you any more information that you didn't already have?"

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