Epistemology of Youth Work

Epistemology, technically speaking, covers one third of all philosophical enquiry, and it is the branch most concerned with faith.

Epistemology, or the theory of knowledge, is always asking questions like, how do you know that, how do you know anything, what is knowledge, what signifies knowledge as fact as opposed to an opinion? How to you get to fact from opinion?

I use epistemological questions to level the playing field across all my work. Here are some examples:

In Broad Apologetic Theory

When entering a new classroom, I often get the students to describe their worldview. I do this by giving everyone a blank sheet of paper and asking a series of questions that determine what they know, what they think they know, what their priorities are, and what they truly care about deep down.

These questions range from ‘who is the most important person in the world’ to ‘why are you here’ and each question is followed by an epistemological question such as ‘how do you know that,’ ‘why do you think that,’ or ‘how can you be certain that’s true?’

The result of this exercise is a wide variety of worldviews (or dare I say religions) that hinge on a varying degree of faith. Even those who thought that they had an incredibly naturalistic, empirical or scientific approach to life need to admit a large reliance of faith.

In Specific Apologetic Questions

When responding to specific questions about God’s existence, such as, ‘how can you believe in a God when evil exists’, or ‘hasn’t Science disproved God’s existence’ I often start with some epistemological follow-ups. These can really narrow the scope and power of those initial questions.

Take God and evil: Why does evil dissuade you from God’s existence? What is it about suffering that makes God’s existence impossible? Can you not think of any possible world where God and evil could exist?

Or on the question of science: Which scientists and what research have you read to lead you to that conclusion? What do you mean by science? Can you think of anything in your experience that science could not prove or disprove? For their help with that last one, consider that the scientific method cannot provide evidence for the existence of mathematics, distinct minds, the reality of time, aesthetics or beauty, or even the scientific method itself!

Always follow a question with who, what, when, where, why, how, or which. Find out what they really know, what makes them think they know it and you’ll on your way to not only answering the question, but finding the real question behind it.

In Exegesis and Bible Studies

It’s certainly important to dig specifically into what does the text say, but it’s also important to analyse what presuppositions and assumptions we might be reading into the text as we examine it. Where did you get that opinion? Who told you that was true? What other possibilities could be going on? How do you know that is what God is like? If you we’re a 96 year old blind lady, what would you think then?

We will get further into the text if we examine (in the hope of somewhat suspending) our own epistemology, and what makes us think we are reading a passage correctly.

It’s also important when we start to apply a Bible passage to remember that the facts of the Bible – which I do believe are inerrant and infallible – are being filtered through my sinful perspective. Thus I will need God’s grace to help me understand, and faith to trust the Holy Spirit’s guidance as I read.

In Talks and Presentations

If you want to engage with a wide range of learning styles, then you will need to ask a wide range of questions. These questions need to be broader than just application, but should dig deeper into the specifics of how different personalities engage with knowledge.

Considering four or five different epistemological perspectives before you work out your applications will help you speak to a wider variety of people.

Some people’s epistemology will only allow them to assimilate a new truth if you can hang it on to experience they have already had. Others may accept what you say to readily because they believe you are a legitimate authority on the subject. Yet others will ignore you completely until they have seen it for themselves through working the problem step-by-step. Some people’s epistemology will only allow them to accept concrete ideas, and will outright reject abstract or open principles.

In Conflict Resolution and People Management

Knowing how to work with different epistemological perspectives is just as important as knowing how to work with different personality types. How people think and assimilate knowledge, and how seriously they take new information will affect how they receive communication.

This will of course change how you resolve difficulties and conflicts, and what language you use in public and private settings.

Epistemological lines of questioning can also help different people consider points of view otherwise removed from their own. Again, simple questions like ‘how do you know that’s what she was thinking when she told you that?’ can go a long way in lowering the temperature of a room.