"Epistemology is the study of knowledge. By what conduit do we know what we know?"

Epistemology is the research study of understanding and how we come to know what we understand. Theodore Bikel's quote is asking how we gain knowledge and what is the source of our knowledge. He is suggesting that understanding is not something that is simply offered to us, but rather something that we need to actively look for and discover. He is likewise indicating that understanding is not absolute, however rather something that is constantly altering and progressing. This quote is a suggestion that knowledge is something that we need to actively pursue which it is not something that is merely handed to us. It depends on us to find the channel through which we can get knowledge and to use that knowledge to much better ourselves and our understanding of the world.