Jennifer Nagel

If you would like a very short introduction to knowledge (epistemology) then this 116 page book is just perfect. Maybe someone with a deep philosophy background would have some reason to carp about it, I don’t know (haha). But as a lay reader it felt like this was a very clear explanation of various schools of thought over the centuries.

By the way, the author Jennifer Nagel (a philosophy professor and an engaging writer who can easily speak Plain English) is *not* related to Thomas Nagel, a very famous philosopher.

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Knowledge: A Very Short Introduction
Is Knowledge Possible?
The possibility of knowledge and the conditions one must observe in order to obtain it are examined in this book. Jennifer Nagel provides a good introduction to the subject, with emphasis in the skeptical tradition. A word about the presocratic conception of knowledge and some observations based on Plato and Aristotle ideas are provided, though the book could have given more attention to it. Descartes conception of knowledge and his response to skepticism is explained. This is an useful reading to understand crucial concepts of philosophy and a guide for future steps in the matter.… (more)