Theory of Knowledge: A Naturalistic Approach grounded in Common Sense and the Cognitive Sciences

All normal human adults and even quite young children have a vast amount of knowledge which guides them in, and is essential for, their daily activities. Older, non-naturalist, approaches often saw this as qualitatively different from that of other creatures, and due perhaps to God-given non-physical minds. Since Darwin, it’s much more plausible that our cognitive capacities are grounded in evolution and share much with those of other creatures. Nonetheless it’s clear that there is a vast difference in scale, both quantitative and qualitative. To understand and explain this, we need the help of the cognitive sciences! Uni of Adelaide Research Associate Greg O'Hair will explore how much has been learned there, including some interesting patterns in our epistemic strengths and weaknesses