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Single Idea 8851
[filed under theme 13. Knowledge Criteria / A. Justification Problems / 2. Justification Challenges / a. Agrippa's trilemma
]
Full Idea
From the point of view of the coherentist, Agrippa's Dilemma fails because it presupposes a 'linear' conception of justifying inference.
Clarification
For Agrippa's Trilemma, see Idea 8850
Gist of Idea
Coherentists say that regress problems are assuming 'linear' justification
Source
Michael Williams (Without Immediate Justification [2005], §2)
Book Ref
'Contemporary Debates in Epistemology', ed/tr. Steup,M/Sosa,E [Blackwell 2005], p.206
A Reaction
[He cites Bonjour 1985 for this view] Since a belief may have several justifications, and one belief could justify a host of others, there certainly isn't a simple line of justifications. I agree with the coherentist picture here.
The
34 ideas
from Michael Williams
8849
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Traditional foundationalism is radically internalist
[Williams,M]
|
8851
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Coherentists say that regress problems are assuming 'linear' justification
[Williams,M]
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8852
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In the context of scepticism, externalism does not seem to be an option
[Williams,M]
|
8855
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Sensory experience may be fixed, but it can still be misdescribed
[Williams,M]
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8853
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Basic judgements are immune from error because they have no content
[Williams,M]
|
3564
|
Is it people who are justified, or propositions?
[Williams,M]
|
3566
|
We control our beliefs by virtue of how we enquire
[Williams,M]
|
3565
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Sometimes I ought to distrust sources which are actually reliable
[Williams,M]
|
3573
|
Externalist reliability refers to a range of conventional conditions
[Williams,M]
|
3571
|
Externalism does not require knowing that you know
[Williams,M]
|
3569
|
In the causal theory of knowledge the facts must cause the belief
[Williams,M]
|
3567
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How could there be causal relations to mathematical facts?
[Williams,M]
|
3574
|
Externalism ignores the social aspect of knowledge
[Williams,M]
|
3575
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Scepticism can involve discrepancy, relativity, infinity, assumption and circularity
[Williams,M]
|
3576
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Foundationalists are torn between adequacy and security
[Williams,M]
|
3577
|
Strong justification eliminates error, but also reduces our true beliefs
[Williams,M]
|
3579
|
Sense data avoid the danger of misrepresenting the world
[Williams,M]
|
3578
|
Are empirical foundations judgements or experiences?
[Williams,M]
|
3580
|
Experience must be meaningful to act as foundations
[Williams,M]
|
3582
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Propositions make error possible, so basic experiential knowledge is impossible
[Williams,M]
|
3581
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Sense data can't give us knowledge if they are non-propositional
[Williams,M]
|
3585
|
Coherence needs positive links, not just absence of conflict
[Williams,M]
|
3584
|
Justification needs coherence, while truth might be ideal coherence
[Williams,M]
|
3586
|
Only a belief can justify a belief
[Williams,M]
|
3587
|
Seeing electrons in a cloud chamber requires theory
[Williams,M]
|
3588
|
Foundationalists base meaning in words, coherentists base it in sentences
[Williams,M]
|
3589
|
Why should diverse parts of our knowledge be connected?
[Williams,M]
|
3590
|
Coherence theory must give a foundational status to coherence itself
[Williams,M]
|
3591
|
We could never pin down how many beliefs we have
[Williams,M]
|
3593
|
The only way to specify the corresponding fact is asserting the sentence
[Williams,M]
|
3592
|
Phenomenalism is a form of idealism
[Williams,M]
|
3595
|
What works always takes precedence over theories
[Williams,M]
|
3594
|
Scepticism just reveals our limited ability to explain things
[Williams,M]
|
3599
|
Deduction shows entailments, not what to believe
[Williams,M]
|