Knowledge, Justification, Understanding

Based on the readings for this topic, how would you characterize your epistemological beliefs?

Coming from a health care profession where accuracy is a big issue, I would say that my epistemological beliefs looks rigid. For me, a person’s knowledge is representative of his or her established amount of accurate information. Information, in itself, is insufficient. There must be a complete justification for me to say that you have enough knowledge. This belief is the influence of my education where I was trained in learning how to learn, to think independently, and to reflect on what I have learned. This means that for me, knowledge is not solely about learning the content. Instead, it must include the process of learning and the development of critical thinking. If someone develops a good critical thinking skill, then this is a skill that the learner can use in any courses. For example, after I finish this course, I do not have to remember the concrete information I have learned, but I should be able to apply the knowledge I have learned here to solve the problems I will face outside.

Though my epistemological beliefs look rigid because of the justification requirement I want, don’t get me wrong. I still strongly believe that knowledge is not concrete, nor is it stagnant, and thus should constantly be scrutinized based on new and innovative erudition, or cultural and historical norms that serve to expand its parameters. Thus, it is interesting to constantly reflect on my epistemological beliefs, and apply them to various contextual, individualized, and philosophical accounts in an attempt toward obtaining its elusive existence.

How have these beliefs been facilitating or inhibiting the ways you learn?
Because of my beliefs that knowledge needs to be justified, I usually engage myself in deep learning like reading several resources and considering different views to attain a good understanding of a concept. Justification for me is important because, with so much information available out there, I want the best knowledge that is more relevant to life and acceptable to many. Once I am happy with the justification I find, then this is the only time I will have a good grasp of the knowledge I am trying to learn.