Main Entry: epis·te·mol·o·gy Pronunciation: i-"pis-t&-'mä-l&-jE Function: noun Etymology: Greek epistEmE knowledge, from epistanai to understand, know, from epi- + histanai to cause to stand -- more at STAND Date: circa 1856 : the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge especially with reference to its limits and validity - epis·te·mo·log·i·cal /-m&-'lä-ji-k&l/ adjective - epis·te·mo·log·i·cal·ly /-k(&-)lE/ adverb - epis·te·mol·o·gist /-'mä-l&-jist/ noun More apropos for the 'she's not there' or 'she's just a robot' aspect of the argument, otherwise you may as well say that a carrot is in an epistemically-defective position with respect to the soil in which it grows. That's true, but it's just a statement of the fact without any hint as to why it is so. |