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Single Idea 6872

[filed under theme 13. Knowledge Criteria / A. Justification Problems / 3. Internal or External / a. Pro-internalism ]

Full Idea

Even weak internalism has the problem of Forgotten Evidence; the agent once had adequate evidence that she subsequently forgot; at the time of epistemic appraisal, she no longer has adequate evidence that is retrievable from memory.

Gist of Idea

Internalism must cover Forgotten Evidence, which is no longer retrievable from memory

Source

Alvin I. Goldman (Internalism Exposed [1999], §3)

Book Ref

Goldman,Alvin I.: 'Pathways to Knowledge' [OUP 2002], p.10

A Reaction

This is certainly a basic problem for any account of justification. It will rule out any strict requirement that there be actual mental states available to support a belief. Internalism may be pushed to include non-conscious parts of the mind.

The 16 ideas from Alvin I. Goldman

4047 Gestalt psychology proposes inbuilt proximity, similarity, smoothness and closure principles [Goldman]
4048 Infant brains appear to have inbuilt ontological categories [Goldman]
4049 The way in which colour experiences are evoked is physically odd and unpredictable [Goldman]
4044 Rat behaviour reveals a considerable ability to count [Goldman]
4045 Children may have three innate principles which enable them to learn to count [Goldman]
4043 Elephants can be correctly identified from as few as three primitive shapes [Goldman]
4262 If the only aim was consistent beliefs then new evidence and experiments would be irrelevant [Goldman]
6871 We can't only believe things if we are currently conscious of their justification - there are too many [Goldman]
6872 Internalism must cover Forgotten Evidence, which is no longer retrievable from memory [Goldman]
6873 Coherent justification seems to require retrieving all our beliefs simultaneously [Goldman]
6874 Internal justification needs both mental stability and time to compute coherence [Goldman]
6875 Reliability involves truth, and truth is external [Goldman]
8831 Introspection is really retrospection; my pain is justified by a brief causal history [Goldman]
8829 Justification depends on the reliability of its cause, where reliable processes tend to produce truth [Goldman]
8830 A belief can be justified when the person has forgotten the evidence for it [Goldman]
8832 If justified beliefs are well-formed beliefs, then animals and young children have them [Goldman]