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Full Idea
Reliabilism is open to the counterexample that a belief may be the result of some generally reliable process (a pressure gauge) which was in fact malfunctioning on this occasion, when we would be reluctant to attribute knowledge to the subject.
Gist of Idea
A true belief might be based on a generally reliable process that failed on this occasion
Source
Simon Blackburn (Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy [1994], p.327)
Book Ref
Blackburn,Simon: 'Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy' [OUP 1996], p.327
A Reaction
Russell's stopped clock that tells the right time twice a day. A good objection. Coming from a reliable source is very good criterion for good justification, but it needs critical assessment.
| 2864 | The main objection to intuitionism in ethics is that intuition is a disguise for prejudice or emotion [Blackburn] |
| 2865 | Critics of prescriptivism observe that it is consistent to accept an ethical verdict but refuse to be bound by it [Blackburn] |
| 2866 | A true belief might be based on a generally reliable process that failed on this occasion [Blackburn] |
| 6451 | Visual sense data are an inner picture show which represents the world [Blackburn] |