more from Kit Fine

Single Idea 9214

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

Full Idea

I may have good reason to believe some testimony, for example, even though the person providing the testimony has no good reason for saying what he does.

Gist of Idea

Unsupported testimony may still be believable

Source

Kit Fine (The Varieties of Necessity [2002], 5)

Book Reference

Fine,Kit: 'Modality and Tense' [OUP 2005], p.256


A Reaction

Thus small children, madmen and dreamers may occasionally get things right without realising it. I take testimony to be merely one more batch of evidence which has to be assessed in building the most coherent picture possible.