The Great Philosophers During The Era Of Intellectual...

The great philosophers, during the era of intellectual enlightenment and self awareness, posed a question: what is knowledge? This concept, defining knowledge- what it is and isn’t and where it comes from, came to be known as epistemology. Epistemology sorted out knowledge from belief; belief being lined with prejudice and thus being discredited for truth. Much of epistemology is concentrated on the mind and its absorption and formulation of this knowledge. Although there is a brief overlap between mind and body within the category of perception (one of the sources of knowledge) there is still a clear preference of the mind over the body to the extent that even if we perceive an object’s existence through our senses that object is not considered in existence until it is verified by our mind. (Stanford, 2005) Is this outlook true, and if so what is the purpose of our bodies? Some anthropologists within the field of ethnography seek to rebuttal stating that the body is an equal, if not greater, source of knowledge. Bronislaw Malinowski, an anthropologist who studied the Papou- Melanesians of New Guinea, strongly states that a published work within the field of ethnography is not considered valid until the ethnographer has fully immersed him/herself within the culture; this means living in the community and participating in daily activities. (Malinowski 1915: 18) According to Malinowski implanting one’s self within a culture is the only way to properly and completelyShow MoreRelatedThe Enlightenment And The Enlightenment During The Scientific Revolution1686 Words   |  7 Pagesmotto of the Enlightenment,† (Kant). The Enlightenment consisted of the ideas of nature, reason, progress, and optimism. Sir Isaac Newton, a scientist during the Scientific Revolution, greatly influenced the Enlightenment due to his stance on natural law. 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