500+ deep philosophical concepts

Every civilization, across every age, has circled around the same quiet questions.

Why does anything exist at all?
Is reality something we discover—or something we participate in?
Are we free, or merely acting out causes set long before us?
Is the self real, or a story the mind tells itself?

Philosophy begins not with answers, but with unease—a subtle dissatisfaction with surface explanations. Science explains how things work. Religion often tells us what to believe. Philosophy sits uncomfortably in between, asking whether our deepest assumptions deserve to stand at all.

From the problem of infinite regress to the mystery of consciousness, from causality and existence to time, meaning, and liberation, human thought has repeatedly returned to a core realization: the more we know, the more fragile certainty becomes.

This blog brings together 100+ deep philosophical concepts drawn from metaphysics, epistemology, consciousness studies, existential thought, and non-dual traditions. These ideas are not meant to be consumed quickly or agreed with easily. Many contradict one another. Some dissolve the very questions they raise. Others point toward truths that language struggles to hold.

A. Causality, Existence & Metaphysics (1–25)

Infinite Regress – An endless chain of explanations with no foundation
First Cause – An uncaused cause that initiates all causation
Necessary Being – Something that must exist by its nature
Contingent Being – Something that exists dependently
Ground of Being – Existence itself as the ultimate reality
Brute Fact – A fact with no further explanation
Unmoved Mover – Aristotle’s eternal source of motion
Self-Existence (Svayambhu) – That which exists on its own
Causal Finitism – The past cannot be infinite
Emergent Causality – Higher-level causes emerging from lower systems
Circular Causality – Cause and effect influencing each other
Non-Linear Causation – Effects not proportional to causes
Acausality – Events without cause
Dependent Origination – Everything arises conditionally
Cosmic Necessity – The universe could not have been otherwise
Modal Realism – All possible worlds exist
Ontological Dependence – One thing exists because of another
Metaphysical Nihilism – There could have been nothing
Existence Precedes Essence – Sartre’s view of human freedom
Essence Precedes Existence – Classical metaphysical view
Substance Metaphysics – Reality made of fundamental substances
Process Philosophy – Reality as becoming, not being
Ontological Priority – What is more fundamental
Cosmic Self-Sufficiency – Reality needs no explanation outside itself
Absolute Reality – Unchanging, ultimate existence

B. Knowledge, Mind & Limits of Understanding (26–50)

Argument of Limited Perspective – Knowledge is viewpoint-bound
Epistemic Humility – Acceptance of knowing limits
Unknown Unknowns – What we don’t know we don’t know
Phenomenon vs Noumenon – Appearance vs reality-in-itself
Cognitive Bias – Systematic error in thinking
Language Limitation – Words distort reality
Conceptual Frameworks – Mental lenses shaping perception
Theory-Ladenness – Observation shaped by belief
Illusion of Understanding – Feeling of knowing without knowing
Constructivism – Knowledge is constructed, not discovered
Naïve Realism – World is exactly as we see it
Indirect Realism – We know representations, not reality
Skepticism – Doubt as a philosophical method
Radical Doubt – Questioning everything
Self-Reference Paradox – Systems explaining themselves
Gödel’s Incompleteness – No system proves all truths
Epistemic Closure – Limits beyond which knowledge can’t go
Tacit Knowledge – Knowing without articulation
Mystical Knowing – Direct, non-conceptual awareness
Intellectual Intuition – Knowing without reasoning
False Certainty – Confidence unsupported by truth
Observer Effect – Observation alters outcome
Map vs Territory – Models are not reality
Hermeneutics – Interpretation as understanding
Silence as Knowledge – Truth beyond speech

C. Self, Identity & Consciousness (51–70)

Personal Identity Problem – What makes you “you”?
Ship of Theseus – Identity through change
No-Self (Anatta) – No permanent self exists
Atman – True self beyond ego
Ego Illusion – Self as mental construct
Continuity of Consciousness – Awareness across time
Hard Problem of Consciousness – Why experience exists
Qualia – Subjective experience
Witness Consciousness (Sakshi) – Observer of all mental states
Extended Mind – Mind extends into tools and environment
Narrative Self – Identity as story
Minimal Self – Bare sense of “I am”
Reflexive Awareness – Awareness aware of itself
Split-Brain Identity – Multiple selves in one body
Free Will Illusion – Choice as post-hoc narrative
Determinism – Everything is causally fixed
Compatibilism – Free will within determinism
Self as Process – Identity as ongoing activity
Self-Ownership – Authority over one’s being
Existential Freedom – Radical responsibility for self

D. Time, Reality & Meaning (71–100)

Illusion of Time – Time as mental construct
Presentism – Only the present exists
Eternalism – Past, present, future equally real
Block Universe – Time as fixed structure
Arrow of Time – Direction from entropy
Timeless Reality – Existence beyond time
Becoming vs Being – Change vs permanence
Maya – Reality as appearance
Lila – Cosmic play
Cosmic Absurdity – Universe lacks inherent meaning
Absurdism – Meaning created despite meaninglessness
Existential Angst – Anxiety from freedom
Teleology – Purpose-driven reality
Anti-Teleology – No inherent purpose
Meaning as Projection – Humans impose meaning
Nihilism – Nothing has inherent value
Value Realism – Values exist objectively
Moral Relativism – Values are culture-bound
Cosmic Indifference – Universe is unconcerned
Tragic Wisdom – Acceptance without illusion
Neti Neti – Not this, not that
Non-Duality (Advaita) – No separation between self and reality
Unity of Opposites – Dualities are one
Paradox as Truth – Contradiction reveals depth
Being vs Nothingness – Fundamental ontological tension
Why Something Rather Than Nothing – Ultimate metaphysical question
Silence of the Absolute – Ultimate reality is wordless
Mystery as Foundation – Reality is irreducibly mysterious
Wonder as Philosophy’s Origin – Awe precedes inquiry
Liberation Through Understanding – Freedom via insight

A2. Causality, Existence & Metaphysics (101–160)

Principle of Sufficient Reason – Everything must have an explanation
Rejection of PSR – Not all facts require explanation
Ontological Bracketing – Suspending questions of existence
Metaphysical Grounding – What makes facts true
Existence as Predicate (denied) – Existence is not a property
Ontological Inflation – Multiplying entities unnecessarily
Ontological Parsimony (Occam’s Razor) – Do not multiply causes
Abstract Objects – Numbers, properties, universals
Concrete Particulars – Spatiotemporal entities
Universals Problem – Shared properties across things
Nominalism – Only particular things exist
Realism about Universals – Properties exist independently
Tropes – Particularized properties
Metaphysical Essentialism – Objects have essential properties
Anti-Essentialism – No fixed essences
Haecceity – Thisness of an individual
Existential Dependence – Being relies on another being
Grounding Regress – Explanations require deeper explanations
Ontological Collapse – Everything reduces to one category
Pluralistic Ontology – Multiple kinds of being
Metaphysical Monism – Reality is fundamentally one
Dualism – Two fundamental substances
Pluralism – Many fundamental realities
Panpsychism – Consciousness is fundamental
Hylozoism – Matter is alive
Neutral Monism – Mind and matter emerge from neutral stuff
Ontological Naturalism – Only natural entities exist
Supernaturalism – Reality includes non-natural entities
Metaphysical Realism – Reality exists independently of mind
Anti-Realism – Reality depends on conceptual schemes
Cosmic Contingency – The universe could have failed to exist
Existential Necessity – Existence cannot be otherwise
Cosmic Groundlessness – No ultimate foundation
Self-Explaining Reality – Reality explains itself
Ontological Closure – No external explanation possible
Creation ex Nihilo – Something from nothing
Eternal Creation – Universe has no beginning
Temporal Finitude – Time has a beginning
Metaphysical Eternity – Existence beyond time
Cosmic Cyclicality – Endless creation and dissolution
Cosmic Asymmetry – Directional structure of reality
Metaphysical Symmetry – Fundamental equivalence
Ontological Depth – Reality has layered levels
Flat Ontology – No hierarchy of being
Event Ontology – Events are fundamental
Thing Ontology – Objects are fundamental
Relation Ontology – Relations are fundamental
Structural Realism – Structure over substance
Existence as Activity – Being is doing
Pure Being – Existence without attributes
Pure Potentiality – Capacity without manifestation
Actuality vs Potentiality – What is vs what could be
Cosmic Latency – Unmanifest reality
Metaphysical Void – Non-being as concept
Plenitude Principle – Everything possible exists
Ontological Saturation – Reality is complete
Existential Overflow – More exists than needed
Metaphysical Minimalism – Reality is sparse
Ontological Mystery – Being resists explanation
Primordial Fact – Existence as the first fact

B2. Knowledge, Mind & Epistemology (161–220)

Epistemic Justification – What makes belief reasonable
Foundationalism – Knowledge rests on basic beliefs
Coherentism – Beliefs justified by coherence
Infinitism – Justification has no end
Contextualism – Knowledge depends on context
Relativism of Truth – Truth varies by framework
Correspondence Theory – Truth matches reality
Coherence Theory of Truth – Truth fits system
Pragmatic Truth – Truth works in practice
Deflationary Truth – Truth adds nothing
Epistemic Virtue – Good knowing habits
Intellectual Honesty – Commitment to truth
Willful Ignorance – Choosing not to know
Epistemic Injustice – Unfair credibility loss
Hermeneutic Blindness – Lack of interpretive tools
Cognitive Closure – Minds cannot access all truths
Epistemic Anxiety – Fear of being wrong
Epistemic Trust – Reliance on others
Testimonial Knowledge – Knowing through others
Distributed Knowledge – Knowledge spread across agents
Embodied Cognition – Mind shaped by body
Situated Knowledge – Knowledge from position
Intuitionism – Knowing without inference
Rationalism – Reason as primary source
Empiricism – Experience as primary source
Synthetic a Priori – Knowledge before experience
Analytic Truth – True by definition
Synthetic Truth – True by fact
Epistemic Luck – True belief by chance
Gettier Problem – Justified true belief fails
Cognitive Framing – Presentation alters judgment
Metacognition – Thinking about thinking
Epistemic Overconfidence – Knowing too much too soon
Epistemic Minimalism – Knowing only what’s needed
Depth vs Breadth of Knowledge – Focus tradeoff
Wisdom vs Knowledge – Knowing how to live
Negative Capability – Holding uncertainty
Apophatic Knowing – Knowing by negation
Intellectual Surrender – Letting go of certainty
Knowing by Being – Identity-based knowledge
Transformative Knowledge – Knowledge that changes knower
Insight vs Information – Seeing vs storing
Epistemic Silence – Refusal to over-explain
Unknowability Thesis – Some truths inaccessible
Ineffability – Cannot be spoken
Pre-Conceptual Awareness – Before thought
Non-Propositional Knowledge – Knowing without facts
Epistemic Groundlessness – No final justification
Cognitive Dissonance – Conflict in belief
Belief Perseverance – Holding false beliefs
Epistemic Liberation – Freedom through clarity
False Enlightenment – Mistaking insight
Epistemic Patience – Slow understanding
Intellectual Courage – Facing unsettling truths
Epistemic Fatigue – Overthinking collapse
Clarity through Simplicity – Less reveals more
Insight Saturation – Too much knowing
Understanding as Integration – Wholeness of knowledge
Epistemic Ground – That on which knowing rests
Awareness as Primary – Consciousness before knowledge

C2. Self, Consciousness & Identity (221–260)

Subject–Object Duality – Knower vs known
Collapse of Subject–Object – Non-dual awareness
Pre-Egoic Consciousness – Awareness before self
Constructed Identity – Self as social product
Relational Self – Identity through relations
Performative Self – Identity enacted
Psychological Continuity – Memory-based identity
Biological Continuity – Body-based identity
Pattern Identity – Self as pattern
Self-Referential Loop – Mind observing itself
Phenomenal Self-Model – Brain’s self-simulation
Transparency of Experience – Illusion of immediacy
Ownership Illusion – “My” thoughts
Agency Illusion – Sense of control
Minimal Phenomenal Selfhood – Bare awareness
Self as Witness Only – Non-doer identity
Self as Role – Contextual identity
Multiplicity of Selves – Many identities
Core Self – Stable center
No Core Self – Empty center
Continuity without Identity – Change without self
Self-Transcendence – Going beyond self
Identity Dissolution – Loss of ego boundaries
Experiential Unity – One field of experience
Fragmented Consciousness – Disunified awareness
Attention as Self – What you attend to
Self as Narrative Gravity – Story pulls identity
Non-Local Consciousness – Beyond body
Consciousness as Field – Shared awareness
Self as Function – Not substance
Reflexive Looping – Awareness turning inward
Awareness without Object – Pure knowing
Self-Liberation – Freedom from identity
Ego Death – Collapse of self-structure
Post-Ego Integration – Return without illusion
Witness Stability – Unchanging observer
Identity as Habit – Repeated patterns
Self as Constraint – Limiting structure
Self as Gateway – Path to transcendence
Identity as Mistake – Fundamental misidentification

D2. Time, Meaning & Ultimate Questions (261–300)

Psychological Time – Time as memory
Cosmic Time – Universal process
Event Time – Time as change
Timeless Awareness – Eternal now
Existential Temporality – Being-toward-death
Kairos vs Chronos – Meaningful vs measured time
Finite Meaning – Temporary significance
Infinite Meaning – Transcendent value
Meaning Collapse – Loss of purpose
Reconstruction of Meaning – Creating anew
Cosmic Meaninglessness – No given purpose
Personal Meaning – Chosen purpose
Transpersonal Meaning – Beyond individual
Sacred Meaning – Holy significance
Meaning through Action – Karma-based meaning
Meaning through Understanding – Jnana-based meaning
Meaning through Devotion – Bhakti-based meaning
Silence as Meaning – Meaning without words
Absence as Presence – Meaning in emptiness
Tragic Acceptance – Meaning without hope
Joy without Reason – Groundless bliss
Cosmic Playfulness – Reality as game
Paradoxical Meaning – Meaning through contradiction
Unity of Meaning and Being – To exist is to mean
Existential Risk – Fragility of meaning
Ultimate Concern – What matters most
Final Questions – Questions without answers
End of Why – Cessation of explanation
Return to Wonder – Childlike awe
Sacred Ignorance – Knowing not-knowing
Liberation from Meaning – Freedom from purpose
Meaning as Attachment – Binding force
Letting Go of Meaning – Ultimate release
Freedom Beyond Meaning – Moksha-like state
Stillness of Being – Meaningless fullness
Existence as Gift – Gratuitous being
Grace without Cause – Unearned reality
Mystery without Solution – Eternal question
Peace beyond Understanding – Shanti
Liberation Beyond Concepts – Freedom itself

Below is a curated list of major philosophical “Problems”, grouped by theme, in the same spirit as the Problem of Evil.

A. God, Reality & Metaphysics

Problem of Evil – How can evil exist if God is omnipotent, omniscient, and benevolent?
Problem of Suffering – Why do innocent beings suffer?
Problem of Divine Hiddenness – Why is God not more evident?
Problem of Free Will – Can free will exist in a determined universe?
Problem of Foreknowledge – If God knows the future, are choices free?
Problem of Creation – Why create anything at all?
Problem of Infinite Regress – Must explanations end somewhere?
Problem of First Cause – Why does causation begin?
Problem of Contingency – Why is there something rather than nothing?
Problem of Necessary Being – What must exist?
Problem of Evil Natural vs Moral – Why natural disasters vs human evil?
Problem of Hell – Is eternal punishment just?
Problem of Miracles – Can natural laws be violated?
Problem of Providence – How does divine control coexist with freedom?
Problem of Theodicy – Can evil be justified?

B. Knowledge, Truth & Epistemology

Problem of Skepticism – How can we know anything?
Problem of Induction – Why assume the future resembles the past?
Problem of Other Minds – How do we know others are conscious?
Problem of Certainty – Can knowledge ever be absolute?
Problem of Justification – What justifies beliefs?
Problem of Regress in Knowledge – Beliefs need reasons endlessly?
Problem of Testimony – When should we trust others?
Problem of Perception – Do we see reality or representations?
Problem of Illusion – How do errors arise?
Problem of Language – Can words capture truth?
Problem of Meaning – How do symbols mean anything?
Problem of Relativism – Is truth culture-dependent?
Problem of Epistemic Authority – Who decides truth?
Problem of Silence – Why ultimate truths evade language?
Problem of Bias – Can we escape subjectivity?

C. Mind, Self & Consciousness

Hard Problem of Consciousness – Why does experience exist?
Problem of Personal Identity – What makes a person the same over time?
Problem of the Self – Is there a real self or just processes?
Problem of Qualia – Can subjective experience be explained?
Problem of Mental Causation – How does mind affect matter?
Problem of Free Will vs Determinism – Choice or causation?
Problem of Responsibility – Can we be blamed without freedom?
Problem of Ego – Is the self an illusion?
Problem of Conscious Unity – Why experience is unified?
Problem of Artificial Consciousness – Can machines be aware?

D. Ethics, Value & Meaning

Problem of Moral Evil – Why humans do evil?
Problem of Moral Responsibility – Are we accountable?
Problem of Moral Knowledge – How do we know right from wrong?
Problem of Moral Relativism – Are morals subjective?
Problem of Value – What makes something good?
Problem of Meaning of Life – Why live?
Problem of Nihilism – If nothing matters, why act?
Problem of Absurdity – Meaning in an indifferent universe?
Problem of Altruism – Why care for others?
Problem of Evil Means – Can evil means justify good ends?

E. Time, Death & Existence

Problem of Time – Is time real or an illusion?
Problem of Change – How can things change and remain the same?
Problem of Persistence – How objects endure over time?
Problem of Death – Why fear non-existence?
Problem of Immortality – Would eternal life be meaningful?
Problem of Beginning – Did time begin?
Problem of Eternity – What does timelessness mean?
Problem of Identity After Death – Who survives?
Problem of Fate – Is destiny fixed?
Problem of Nothingness – What is nothing?

F. Society, Power & Reality

Problem of Authority – Who should rule?
Problem of Justice – What is fair?
Problem of Inequality – Why injustice persists?
Problem of Power – Does power corrupt?
Problem of Ideology – How beliefs shape reality?
Problem of Social Construction – What is real vs made?
Problem of Freedom – Are we truly free?
Problem of Progress – Is history improving?
Problem of Violence – Why conflict?
Problem of Trust – Can society function without it?

G. Ultimate & Existential Problems

Problem of Ultimate Meaning – Does existence have a purpose?
Problem of Mystery – Why reality resists explanation?
Problem of Transcendence – Is there something beyond?
Problem of Silence of God – Why no answer?
Problem of Enlightenment – Why insight doesn’t last?
Problem of Liberation – What does freedom really mean?
Problem of Ignorance (Avidya) – Why we don’t see truth?
Problem of Maya – Why illusion appears real?
Problem of Duality – Why subject-object split?
Problem of Non-Dual Experience – How unity appears as multiplicity?

Below is a clean, structured map of the major philosophical domains, followed by lesser-known but equally powerful ones. This is perfect reference material for a blog or explainer.

1. Core Branches of Philosophy (Foundational)

These are the pillars—the first words every philosophy student encounters.

Ontology – Study of being and existence
Epistemology – Study of knowledge and knowing
Metaphysics – Study of ultimate reality beyond physics
Logic – Study of reasoning and valid inference
Ethics – Study of morality and right action
Axiology – Study of value (good, bad, worthwhile)

2. Subfields Closely Related to Ontology & Epistemology

These refine or extend the two you mentioned.

Cosmology – Nature and origin of the universe
Teleology – Purpose and ends
Phenomenology – Structures of lived experience
Hermeneutics – Interpretation and meaning
Philosophy of Mind – Consciousness, thought, self
Philosophy of Language – Meaning, reference, truth
Philosophy of Science – Nature of scientific knowledge
Philosophy of Mathematics – Status of mathematical truths
Philosophy of Logic – Foundations of reasoning
Philosophy of Religion – God, faith, transcendence
Philosophy of Action – Agency and intention
Metaphilosophy – Philosophy about philosophy

3. Value, Meaning & Human Life

Where ontology and epistemology meet lived experience.

Ethics (Normative) – What we ought to do
Metaethics – What moral claims mean
Moral Psychology – How moral thinking works
Political Philosophy – Power, justice, state
Social Philosophy – Society and social reality
Existentialism – Meaning, freedom, anxiety
Nihilism – Rejection of inherent meaning
Humanism – Human-centered meaning and values
Virtue Ethics – Character over rules
Care Ethics – Ethics of relationships
Environmental Philosophy – Nature and value
Bioethics – Ethics of life and medicine

4. Knowledge, Mind & Interpretation (Advanced)

Deep epistemic lenses.

Skepticism – Doubt about knowledge
Pragmatism – Truth as practical consequence
Rationalism – Knowledge from reason
Empiricism – Knowledge from experience
Constructivism – Knowledge as constructed
Relativism – Truth depends on framework
Realism – Mind-independent reality
Anti-Realism – Reality depends on cognition
Idealism – Reality is mental
Materialism / Physicalism – Reality is physical
Dualism – Mind and matter distinct
Monism – Reality is one
Pluralism – Reality is many

5. Experience, Consciousness & Being

Where Eastern and Western thought often converge.

Non-Dualism (Advaita) – No separation between self and reality
Mysticism – Direct experience of ultimate reality
Contemplative Philosophy – Insight through inner practice
Philosophy of Consciousness – Subjective experience
Panpsychism – Consciousness everywhere
Process Philosophy – Reality as becoming
Existential Phenomenology – Lived being-in-the-world

6. Lesser-Known but Powerful “-ologies”

Great for depth and originality in a blog.

Onto-epistemology – Being and knowing as inseparable
Alethiology – Study of truth
Praxeology – Study of human action
Thanatology – Study of death
Eschatology – End of time, final things
Philosophical Anthropology – Nature of the human
Noetics – Study of intellect and intuition
Epistemic Justice – Fairness in knowledge systems
Chronology (philosophical) – Nature of time
Teleonomy – Apparent purpose without intention

7. Eastern Philosophy Equivalents (Conceptual Domains)

Not named as “-ology” but function similarly.

Vedanta – Nature of reality and self
Nyaya – Logic and epistemology
Samkhya – Ontology of consciousness and matter
Mimamsa – Interpretation and duty
Yoga Philosophy – Mind, suffering, liberation
Buddhist Epistemology – Knowledge and perception
Taoist Metaphysics – Way of nature
Confucian Ethics – Moral cultivation

8. Big-Picture Unifying Terms

These don’t fit neatly into one category.

Worldview – Integrated understanding of reality
Paradigm – Framework shaping inquiry
First Philosophy – Ultimate foundational inquiry
Wisdom Traditions – Knowledge aimed at liberation
Speculative Philosophy – Beyond empirical limits
Critical Theory – Knowledge and power
Postmodern Philosophy – Suspicion of grand narratives

Simple Summary for Your Blog

Ontology asks: What exists?
Epistemology asks: How do we know?
Axiology/Ethics asks: What matters?
Phenomenology asks: How does it appear?
Metaphysics asks: What is ultimately real?

4. Knowledge, Mind & Interpretation (Advanced) — Expanded

Core Epistemic Positions

Fallibilism – All knowledge is provisional and revisable
Foundationalism – Knowledge rests on basic beliefs
Coherentism – Beliefs justified by mutual coherence
Infinitism – Justification requires infinite reasons
Contextualism – Knowledge standards vary by context
Invariantism – Knowledge standards are fixed
Evidentialism – Beliefs justified by evidence
Reliabilism – Knowledge from reliable processes
Virtue Epistemology – Knowledge as intellectual character
Internalism – Justification accessible to the knower
Externalism – Justification independent of awareness

Truth & Meaning Theories

Correspondence Theory – Truth matches reality
Coherence Theory of Truth – Truth fits a belief system
Pragmatic Theory of Truth – Truth works in practice
Deflationary Theory – Truth adds nothing substantive
Minimalism – Truth is linguistic convenience
Pluralist Theories of Truth – Different truths for different domains
Semantic Externalism – Meaning partly outside the mind
Use Theory of Meaning – Meaning arises from use

Interpretation & Understanding

Hermeneutic Phenomenology – Meaning emerges through lived interpretation
Interpretivism – Understanding requires interpretation
Structuralism – Meaning from underlying structures
Post-Structuralism – Meaning is unstable and shifting
Deconstruction – Texts undermine their own claims
Intentionalism – Meaning tied to author’s intent
Anti-Intentionalism – Meaning independent of intent
Narrativism – Knowledge structured as stories

Mind, Consciousness & Cognition

Functionalism – Mind defined by function, not substance
Eliminative Materialism – Folk psychology is false
Emergentism – Mind arises from but isn’t reducible to matter
Panpsychism – Consciousness is fundamental everywhere
Neutral Monism – Mind and matter share a neutral base
Embodied Cognition – Mind shaped by body
Enactivism – Knowing through action
Extended Mind Thesis – Mind extends into tools and world
Predictive Processing – Mind as prediction engine

Limits, Doubt & Uncertainty

Pyrrhonian Skepticism – Suspension of judgment
Academic Skepticism – Knowledge impossible, belief probable
Epistemic Modesty – Acceptance of deep limits
Ignorance Realism – Ignorance is unavoidable
Unknown Unknowns – Limits beyond awareness
Epistemic Closure Failure – Knowledge doesn’t transfer
Gettier Problem – Justified true belief isn’t knowledge
Problem of Induction – Future need not resemble past

Social & Political Epistemology

Social Epistemology – Knowledge as collective
Testimonial Injustice – Unfair credibility deficits
Hermeneutical Injustice – Lack of concepts to express experience
Epistemic Authority – Who gets believed
Standpoint Epistemology – Knowledge shaped by social position
Power-Knowledge – Knowledge intertwined with power
Epistemic Bubbles – Limited information environments
Echo Chambers – Self-reinforcing belief systems

Meta-Epistemology (Very Deep)

Naturalized Epistemology – Knowledge studied scientifically
Formal Epistemology – Knowledge via logic and probability
Bayesian Epistemology – Belief updating via probability
Evolutionary Epistemology – Knowledge shaped by survival
Meta-Knowledge – Knowing about knowing
Epistemic Circularity – Knowledge justifies itself
Onto-Epistemology – Being and knowing inseparable

Eastern & Non-Western Epistemic Views

Pramana Theory (Nyaya) – Valid means of knowledge
Direct Perception (Pratyaksha) – Immediate knowing
Inference (Anumana) – Knowledge by reasoning
Testimony (Shabda) – Knowledge via reliable word
Avidya – Ignorance as root of error
Jnana – Liberating knowledge
Prajna – Insight beyond duality
Non-Conceptual Awareness – Knowing without thought

One-line synthesis for your blog

Epistemology isn’t about what we know—it’s about how reality appears when filtered through mind, language, power, and limitation.