Epistemology
Epistemology is derived from the Ancient Greek epistēmē which refers to systematic or reliable knowledge (as opposed to doxa, or “belief”). The research concept here is “rational discourse about knowledge” and the focus is the study of knowledge and methods used to generate knowledge.
Epistemology has a history as long as Philosophy, and in many ways is the foundation of both scientific and philosophical knowledge.
Epistemological questions include:
- What is knowledge?
- How can we claim to know anything at all?
- What does it mean to know something?
- What makes a belief justified?
- What is the relationship between the knower and what can be known?
While the philosophical dimensions can be abstract and generalized, thinking about these kinds of questions in the context of research makes them more targeted because it enables you to align specific methods against specific questions more appropriately. Epistemology is closely connected to method as they are both concerned with knowledge creation and validation (broadly construed). Research methods are essentially epistemologies – by following a certain process we support our claim to know about the thing(s) we have been researching. Inappropriate or poorly followed methods can undermine claims to have produced new knowledge or discovered a new truth. This can have implications for future studies that build
on the data and/or conceptual framework used.
Research methods can be thought of as essentially stripped down, purpose-specific epistemologies. Research attempts to add to knowledge. However, it’s important to note that methods and epistemologies are accompanied by ontological (and often axiomatic) commitments. One key consideration here is the status of ‘truth’ within a particular epistemology or research method. If, for instance, some approaches emphasize subjective knowledge and deny the possibility of an objective truth, what does this mean for choosing a research method? We’ll discuss this in more detail in the section on Research Paradigms.