Episteme

/ˌɛpɪˈstɛm/ noun

Definition

A system of knowledge or the foundational framework of ideas and assumptions that a culture or time period uses to understand the world.

Etymology

From Greek 'episteme' meaning 'knowledge' or 'understanding,' popularized in modern philosophy by Michel Foucault to describe historical shifts in how people think.

Kelly Says

Foucault showed that what counts as 'knowledge' changes dramatically—medieval people's episteme made sense of witches, but our modern episteme explains those events through psychology and medicine instead.

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