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Single Idea 10328

[filed under theme 13. Knowledge Criteria / C. External Justification / 7. Testimony ]

Full Idea

The reason why we place any credit in witnesses and historians, is not derived from any connexion, which we perceive a priori, between testimony and reality, but because we are accustomed to find a conformity between them.

Gist of Idea

We think testimony matches reality because of experience, not some a priori connection

Source

David Hume (Enquiry Conc Human Understanding [1748], X.i.89)

Book Ref

Hume,David: 'Enquiries Conc. Human Understanding, Morals', ed/tr. Selby-Bigge/Nidditch [OUP 1975], p.113

A Reaction

Well he would say that, wouldn't he? If there is no connection in testimony, presumably there can be no a priori connection with private experience, but there is a danger of never getting started, and ending in anti-realism.

The 18 ideas with the same theme [role of reports and beliefs of other people in justification]:

10328 We think testimony matches reality because of experience, not some a priori connection [Hume]
2230 Good testimony needs education, integrity, motive and agreement [Hume, by PG]
23549 We treat testimony with a natural trade off of belief and caution [Reid, by Fricker,M]
7458 The reliability of witnesses depends on whether they benefit from their observations [Laplace, by Hacking]
6273 Knowledge depends on believing others, which must be innate, as inferences are not strong enough [Putnam]
6274 Empathy may not give knowledge, but it can give plausibility or right opinion [Putnam]
9214 Unsupported testimony may still be believable [Fine,K]
10325 Vindicating testimony is an expression of individualism [Kusch]
10324 Testimony does not just transmit knowledge between individuals - it actually generates knowledge [Kusch]
10327 Some want to reduce testimony to foundations of perceptions, memories and inferences [Kusch]
10329 Testimony won't reduce to perception, if perception depends on social concepts and categories [Kusch]
10330 A foundation is what is intelligible, hence from a rational source, and tending towards truth [Kusch]
10334 Testimony is an area in which epistemology meets ethics [Kusch]
10336 Powerless people are assumed to be unreliable, even about their own lives [Kusch]
23550 Burge says we are normally a priori entitled to believe testimony [Fricker,M]
23552 We assess testimonial probabilities by the speaker, the listener, the facts, and the circumstances [Fricker,M]
23553 Testimonial judgement is not logical, but produces reasons and motivations [Fricker,M]
23555 Assessing credibility involves the impact of both the speaker's and the listener's social identity [Fricker,M]