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Single Idea 6370

[filed under theme 13. Knowledge Criteria / C. External Justification / 1. External Justification ]

Full Idea

There are two major kinds of externalist theory in the literature - probabilism (which expresses justification in terms of probability of the belief being true), and reliabilism (which refers to the probability of the cognitive processes being right).

Gist of Idea

Externalism comes as 'probabilism' (probability of truth) and 'reliabilism' (probability of good cognitive process)

Source

J Pollock / J Cruz (Contemporary theories of Knowledge (2nd) [1999], §4.1)

Book Ref

Pollock,J.L./Cruz,J: 'Contemporary Theories of Knowledge (2nd)' [Rowman and Littlefield 1999], p.91

A Reaction

A useful clarification. Reliabilism has an obvious problem, that a process can be reliable, but only luckily correct on this occasion (a clock which has, unusually, stopped). A ghost is more probably there if I believe in ghosts.

The 20 ideas with the same theme [general issues about external justification]:

2555 For Locke knowledge relates to objects, not to propositions [Locke, by Rorty]
6948 Doubts should be satisfied by some external permanency upon which thinking has no effect [Peirce]
4253 Externalism says knowledge involves a natural relation between the belief state and what makes it true [Armstrong]
3830 In the past people had a reason not to smoke, but didn't realise it [Searle]
8812 Norm Externalism says norms must be internal, but their selection is partly external [Pollock]
8816 Externalists tend to take a third-person point of view of epistemology [Pollock]
3701 Externalist theories of justification don't require believers to have reasons for their beliefs [Bonjour]
4258 Extreme externalism says no more justification is required than the truth of the belief [Bonjour]
2776 Externalism could even make belief unnecessary (e.g. in animals) [Dancy,J]
9382 Subjects may be unaware of their epistemic 'entitlements', unlike their 'justifications' [Burge]
3571 Externalism does not require knowing that you know [Williams,M]
3574 Externalism ignores the social aspect of knowledge [Williams,M]
2738 Consistent accurate prediction looks like knowledge without justified belief [Audi,R]
4065 Is knowledge just a state of mind, or does it also involve the existence of external things? [Crane]
6370 Externalism comes as 'probabilism' (probability of truth) and 'reliabilism' (probability of good cognitive process) [Pollock/Cruz]
3755 Justification is normative, so it can't be reduced to cognitive psychology [Bernecker/Dretske]
4254 Externalist accounts of knowledge do not require the traditional sort of justification [Kornblith]
3568 Surely ALL truths are externally justified, by the facts? [Cross,A]
17723 Knowledge is true belief which can be explained just by citing the proposition believed [Jenkins]
19704 Externalism may imply that identical mental states might go with different justifications [Vahid]