Epistemology comes from the Greek episteme, "knowledge" + logos, "theory" or a theory of knowledge. It is a branch of philosophy that is interested in ways of knowing and knowledge. The term was introduced into English by the Scottish philosopher James Frederick Ferrier (1808–1864). It genereally analyzes how people know things, paths of knowing and acquiring knowledge, and the basic question of what knowledge actually is. The Enlightenment was a period in which the way of knowing was thought to be through reason, not experience. This, however, was widely considered and debated about in many countries and by many philosophers and theorists during this time. This period in general was a time when epistemology, or thinking about ways of knowing and knowledge, was particularly popular.