propositional knowledge
Quick Summary
In epistemology, propositional knowledge refers to knowing that something is the case, as opposed to knowing how to do something. This type of knowledge involves possessing specific pieces of information that can generally be conveyed to others.1
There are two main categories of knowledge:
* A priori knowledge is gained independently of experience, often through understanding the meanings of words. An example is knowing that "all husbands are married" because the definition of husband includes being married.23
* A posteriori knowledge requires empirical investigation or experience to be known. For instance, determining if "all Model T Fords are black" would necessitate looking at actual Model T Fords.23
Propositions can also be classified as logical or factual. Logical propositions can be reduced to logical truths, while factual propositions provide new information about the world.2
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
epistemologyThe nature of knowledge…knowledge, often referred to as propositional knowledge, raises a number of peculiar epistemological problems, among which is the much-debated issue of what kind of thing one knows when one knows that something is the case. In other words, in sentences of the form “A knows that p”—where “A” is the…
Read More…knowledge, often referred to as propositional knowledge, raises a number of peculiar epistemological problems, among which is the much-debated issue of what kind of thing one knows when one knows that something is the case. In other words, in sentences of the form “A knows that p”—where “A” is the…
Read More
epistemologySkepticism…definition of knowledge, one that implies two things: (1) if A knows that p, then p is true, and (2) if A knows that p, then A cannot be mistaken (i.e., it is logically impossible that A is wrong. Thus, if people say that they know Smith will arrive at…
Read More…definition of knowledge, one that implies two things: (1) if A knows that p, then p is true, and (2) if A knows that p, then A cannot be mistaken (i.e., it is logically impossible that A is wrong. Thus, if people say that they know Smith will arrive at…
Read More