Beliefs, culture, and the search for truth: Paths to knowledge in science, mathematics, and human psychology

This seminar explores diverse processes through which knowledge is acquired in the physical sciences, in mathematics, and in the study of human psychology. We consider fundamental epistemological questions that arise in these disciplines: Can knowledge ever be objective? Is it fundamentally an individual construct, or a social construct? How do different human cultures develop it? Is it possible to distinguish among beliefs, warranted beliefs, hypotheses, theories, and knowledge? How? Discussions focus on roles played in these fields of study (both historically and currently) by empirical data, qualitative and quantitative; by reasoning and rational deduction; by cognitive and epistemological obstacles; by language; and by biases, prejudices and preconceptions. We compare, and contrast sources of truth and validity that are recognized as legitimate, asking what the word “really” mean in different contexts. We also discuss how we, as individuals and through social interactions, arrive at our personal beliefs and values.