Epistemic Possibility
Epistemic possibility refers to what may be true given a person's limited knowledge. It describes uncertainty about what is the case, not what is actually possible in reality.
At a Glance
Epistemic Possibility refers to what could be the case given what a knower does or does not know.
Key Points
- Category: philosophical concept.
- Touches questions of reality, knowledge, morality, or human personhood.
- Useful only when disciplined by Scripture and clear definitions.
Description
Epistemic possibility is a philosophical term for what appears possible relative to a subject's knowledge, evidence, or ignorance. For example, something may be epistemically possible if a person cannot yet exclude it on the basis of what he knows, even though it is not actually the case. This differs from metaphysical possibility, which asks what could really exist or occur, and from logical possibility, which asks what is free from contradiction. In a Christian worldview, the concept can be useful for discussing human finitude, fallibility, and the difference between limited human knowledge and God's perfect knowledge. It should be used as an analytic tool rather than as an authority over truth, since what seems possible to us may still be false, and Scripture teaches that the Lord knows all things fully while human knowers see only in part.
Theological Significance
Theologically, the term matters because doctrinal claims inevitably interact with underlying assumptions about being, knowledge, causation, personhood, or value. Clear definitions help expose those assumptions rather than leaving them hidden.
Philosophical Explanation
Philosophically, Epistemic Possibility concerns what could be the case given what a knower does or does not know. As a category it can expose assumptions about reality, knowledge, morality, language, or human existence, but Christian use must refuse to let the category define truth apart from Scripture.
Interpretive Cautions
Do not allow abstraction to outrun revelation. Conceptual analysis can sharpen thought, but it can also mislead when terms are left vague, absolutized, or detached from scriptural truth.
Practical Significance
In practice, this term helps readers recognize the assumptions carried by arguments about God, the world, morality, and human life.
Related Entries
- Epistemology
- Knowledge
- Belief
- Warrant
- Truth-bearers