---
bibtex: @InCollection{sep-epistemology,
author = {Steup, Matthias},
title = {Epistemology},
booktitle = {The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy},
editor = {Edward N. Zalta},
howpublished = {\url{http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2014/entries/epistemology/}},
year = {2014},
edition = {Spring 2014},
}
---
Epistemology is the study of knowledge and justified belief. It deals with knowledge concerning propositions.
"‘S knows that p’, where ‘S’ stands for the subject who has knowledge and ‘p’ for the proposition that is known"
Traditional theories claims S knows that p when S has justified true belief of p. So knowledge requires truth, belief and good reasons for believing.
"According to evidentialism, what makes a belief justified in this sense is the possession of evidence."
Non-traditional theories claim that S knows that p when S's belief has a high objective probability of truth.
"Reliabilism...is that this is accomplished if, and only if, a belief originates in reliable cognitive processes or faculties"
Analysis of justification can consider 2 things:
- what do we mean when we use the word ‘justification’?
- what makes beliefs justified?
Deontological Justification (DJ): S is justified in believing that p if and only if S believes that p while it is not the case that S is obliged to refrain from believing that p.
The obligations here relate to what matters is the pursuit of truth.
Non-Deontological Justification (NDJ): S is justified in believing that p if and only if S believes that p on a basis that properly probabilifies S's belief that p.
Evidentialism: Beliefs are justified if there is sufficient evidence for them.
Reliabilism: Beliefs are justified if they come from suitably reliable processes.
Luminosity: One's own mind is cognitively luminous: Relying on introspection, one can always recognize on reflection what mental states one is in.
Necessity: a priori recognizable, necessary principles say what is evidence for what.[25] Relying on a priori insight, one can therefore always recognize on reflection whether one's mental states are evidence for p.
Foundationalism: Beliefs are justified if they are justified from basic beliefs.
Coherentism: Beliefs are justified if they are coherent with other beliefs.
A Priori Justification: S is justified a priori in believing that p if and only if S's justification for believing that p does not depend on any experience.