Conventional Organizational Epistemologies

The word ‘epistemology’ comes from the Greek words episteme (knowledge) and logos (theory). Epistemology has traditionally been conceived of as a branch of one of the grand divisions of philosophy,1 methodology, or ways we as human beings come to know the world. As such, epistemology has been dealing with the extent ‘…the things and qualities of the world are dependent upon their being related as objects to a knower or subject’.2 From this perspective, methodology encompasses both the ways of attaining and the ways of interpreting knowledge, thus encompassing both logic and epistemology. Logic is concerned with understanding propositions and their use in argumentation addressing, for instance, sources of beliefs and ideas, what constitutes valid arguments, theories of language, theories of modalities, paradoxes and logical fallacies. Epistemology is concerned with understanding the origin, nature and validity of knowledge: it seeks to provide knowledge about knowledge, and hence some refer to epistemology as theory of knowledge. Epistemology typically addresses issues like the role of reasoning in knowledge development, the role of sensory perception in knowledge development, types of knowledge, the difference between knowing and believing, the degree of certainty in knowledge, and so on.