Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. Also called the theory of knowledge, it explores different types of knowledge, such as propositional
Bertrand Russell originated the distinction between propositional knowledge and knowledge by acquaintance.
The analytic–synthetic distinction has its roots in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant.
Alvin Goldman was an influential defender of externalism.
René Descartes used methodological doubt to seek certain foundations for philosophy.
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic nature or most fundamental structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but so
The beginning of Aristotle's Metaphysics, one of the foundational texts of the discipline
Immanuel Kant conceived metaphysics from the perspective of critical philosophy as the study of the principles underlying all human thought and experience.
David Hume criticizes metaphysicians for trying to gain knowledge outside the field of sensory experience.
Boethius's theory of universals influenced many subsequent metaphysicians.