Course code

HIF6321.HT

old course code

Course title in Estonian

Epistemoloogia

Course title in English

Epistemology

ECTS credits

6.0

Assessment form

Examination

lecturer of 2026/2027 Autumn semester

Margus Vihalem (language of instruction:Estonian)

lecturer of 2026/2027 Spring semester

Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.

Brief description of the course

The course examines the central problems of epistemology, focusing on questions such as: What is knowledge? How is knowledge generated? Whether and how does knowledge differ from opinion or belief? On what is knowledge grounded? An overview is provided of the most important schools of thought in epistemology, including rationalism, empiricism, essentialism, nominalism, pragmatism, and phenomenology. Philosophical texts on epistemological topics are analysed. Each student engages in a more in-depth study of one epistemological school of their own choosing.

Learning outcomes in the course

Upon completing the course the student:
- focuses on the basic problems of epistemology and the most important schools of philosophical epistemology;
- distinguishes one epistemological strategy from another; notices their weaknesses and strengths;
- analyzes philosophical texts in the field of epistemology;
- has a deeper understanding of one epistemological strategy at the student's choice.

Teacher

Margus Vihalem

Study programmes containing that course

Philosophy (HTFIB/27.HT)
Philosophy (HIFIB/26.HT)
Philosophy (HIFIB/25.HT)
Philosophy (HIFIB/24.HT)
Philosophy (HIFIB/23.HT)
Comparative Philosophy (HIFVM/23.HT)
Philosophy (HIFIB/22.HT)
Philosophy (HIFIB/21.HT)
Philosophy (HIFIB/20.HT)
Philosophy (HIFIB/19.HT)
Philosophy (HIFIB/18.HT)
Philosophy (HIFIB/17.HT)
Philosophy (HIFIB/16.HT)