7 Theories of Knowledge Free Online FlashCards

What does epistemology investigate?

Epistemology studies what knowledge is, how beliefs are justified, and how knowledge differs from a true belief that is correct by luck.

What is the central claim of reliabilism?

Reliabilism holds that a belief’s epistemic standing depends partly on whether it was formed by a process that tends to produce true beliefs.

What makes a belief-forming process reliable?

A process is reliable when it tends to produce true beliefs in relevant circumstances, such as careful calculation or normal memory.

Why is reliabilism often called externalist?

Reliabilism is often externalist because a process can confer knowledge even if the believer cannot explain or reflect on its reliability.

What process-definition problem challenges reliabilism?

Reliabilists must decide how broadly to define a process: as vision, vision in daylight, or vision while viewing one particular tree. Each description can yield a different reliability assessment.

What does virtue epistemology emphasize?

Virtue epistemology evaluates knowledge by considering the knower’s intellectual abilities or qualities, such as sound judgment and open-mindedness.

Why may a botanist know a plant’s species while a lucky guesser does not?

The botanist’s correct identification can count as knowledge because it results from careful examination and expertise; a guess lacks that same epistemic achievement.

How do the two broad strands of virtue epistemology differ?

Virtue reliabilist approaches emphasize truth-conducive cognitive abilities; virtue responsibilist approaches emphasize cultivated intellectual character, such as curiosity and fairness.

What does epistemic contextualism say about knowledge claims?

Contextualism holds that the standards for a true claim that someone knows can vary with the context in which the claim is made.

Whose context matters in attributor contextualism?

In attributor contextualism, the relevant context is that of the person making the knowledge claim.

Does contextualism require the knower’s evidence to change when knowledge standards shift?

Not necessarily. The conversational standards for attributing knowledge may change without a corresponding change in the knower’s evidence or belief.

What do pragmatic approaches emphasize in the pursuit of knowledge?

Pragmatic approaches emphasize inquiry: forming, testing, revising, and using beliefs in practice rather than treating knowledge only as a final state.