Pros and Cons of Epistemological Shift. Social Sciences Essay.

Pros and Cons of Epistemological Shift
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Pros and Cons of Epistemological Shift
Epistemology refers to a dynamic concept that shows how humans understand knowledge, which entails how it is received, classified, justified, and transmitted in distinctive ways and at different periods in history. In particular, an epistemological shift is used by philosophers to portray how people change the manner they obtain knowledge. In other words, it entails the idea that a person has changed or shifted from the way he or she used to take in knowledge. For example, a few decades ago, individuals used to visit libraries and get hard copies of books they needed to read. Students were required to buy physical textbooks when joining schools. However, today things have changed due to the rapid advancement of technology. People read books on their smartphones, tablets, or computers. They have access to soft copies that are available on the Internet. Universities have opened virtual libraries with e-books only. Philosophers should be concerned about the epistemological shift, which is why the paper focuses on the pros and cons of this shift.
Philosophers are correct to be concerned about the epistemological shift. The steady shift in epistemology has raised numerous criticisms from different scholars worldwide. Some people say that epistemology is outdated since it relies on obsolete theories. However, without relying on epistemological shift, it would be challenging to determine things that affect human life in contemporary society (French II & Ehrman, 2016). For example, the rapid advancement of technology has initiated a great concern for new scientific philosophies. As such, without the focus on epistemological shift, it would be difficult for philosophers to shed more light on problems affecting people in the current society. In other terms, individuals would still rely on outdated past theories when trying to address issues happening in the world.
The epistemological shift has various advantages that explain why philosophers should be concerned about this change. First, it shows that rapid technological change has changed the manner in which people acquire knowledge. As stated earlier, many individuals now rely on their smartphones, tablets, and laptops when reading materials. In reality, it has become a requirement by many universities and colleges for students to have laptops when being admitted (Maniram & Maistry, 2018). Second, although physical classrooms have been vital for many years in knowledge acquisition, the trend has changed, and virtual classes have become the norm of the day. Consequently, the epistemological shift enables people to identify the changes in the way they obtain knowledge due to the introduction of technology.
Third, the epistemological shift has made it possible to access and assess learning since almost all materials that students need are available on the Internet. These learning resources are affordable, which makes it easy for the majority of learners to access them. Another advantage of epistemological shift is that it shows how online classes are taking over and replacing physical ...