A basic assumption taken to be true without proof. Axioms are the foundations of a mathematical system.

A systematic inclination in favor of or against certain ideas, often shaping the way information is presented and interpreted.

A position you take, your attempt to answer the title.

An opposing perspective that challenges your claim.

Hesitation or questioning that challenges what we think we know. It can be scientific skepticism, historical revision, or even personal uncertainty.

The power to decide what counts as legitimate knowledge. These authorities control who gets taken seriously and who gets dismissed, determining which methods are valid and which sources are trustworthy.

Disagreements that arise not from different facts but from different theories about what counts as valid evidence and reliable knowledge.

Systematic limitations designed to protect people, animals, or communities from harm in the process of knowledge production. They act as gatekeepers of what can (and cannot) be studied.

Understanding constructed from fragmentary evidence about unrepeatable past events, requiring constant interpretation and reinterpretation as new sources emerge and analytical frameworks evolve.

The process of reinterpreting established historical narratives based on new evidence, methodological advances, or changing analytical frameworks.

Systematic study of human behavior, societies, and mental processes using empirical methods adapted to account for the complexity, variability, and self-awareness of human subjects.

A testable statement or prediction that can be supported or refuted through evidence.

The quality of a system where all statements and proofs agree with its starting axioms, with no contradictions.

A fundamental change in the underlying framework of a discipline, where old assumptions are replaced by new ones.

What you know from your own direct experience

The idea that divine truth gets revealed gradually over time versus being disclosed completely at once, affecting how religious communities adapt to new knowledge.

A step-by-step logical argument that demonstrates why a theorem must be true.

The strategic shaping of information to influence opinion, often by emphasizing certain facts while omitting others.

Knowledge that is accepted as the best current understanding based on available evidence, but remains open to revision when new evidence emerges or analytical methods improve.

Knowledge that is accepted as the best current understanding based on available evidence, but remains open to revision when new evidence emerges or analytical methods improve.

The active process of questioning, testing, and refining what counts as knowledge.

Systematic frameworks for understanding meaning, purpose, morality, and transcendence that use validation methods like revelation, tradition, personal experience, and community consensus rather than empirical observation.

Repeating the study under different conditions and still finding the same result.

What groups of people have figured out together, tested, and agreed upon

A statement that has been logically proven based on axioms and previously established theorems.

A comprehensive framework of basic beliefs about reality, knowledge, and value that shapes how someone interprets all information and makes practical decisions.