Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Explaining the A Priori', 'Truth and Predication' and 'Intro to Contemporary Epistemology'

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3 ideas

13. Knowledge Criteria / A. Justification Problems / 2. Justification Challenges / a. Agrippa's trilemma
Foundations are justified by non-beliefs, or circularly, or they need no justification [Dancy,J]
     Full Idea: Foundationalism can get rid of the regress argument with one of three types of belief: those justified by something other than beliefs, those which justify themselves, or those which need no justification.
     From: Jonathan Dancy (Intro to Contemporary Epistemology [1985], 4.3)
     A reaction: A nice clear trilemma, and none of them will do, which is why foundationalism is false. I vote for Davidson's view, that only a belief can justify another belief.
13. Knowledge Criteria / A. Justification Problems / 3. Internal or External / a. Pro-internalism
For internalists we must actually know that the fact caused the belief [Dancy,J]
     Full Idea: The internalist would claim that even if the belief is caused by the true fact to which it refers, it is also necessary that the believer believes that this is how their belief arose, and not some other way.
     From: Jonathan Dancy (Intro to Contemporary Epistemology [1985], 3.5)
     A reaction: I'm converted to internalism. If the belief is externally supported in the right way, then it may well be a true belief, but knowledge needs critical faculties, and justifications which can be articulated.
Internalists tend to favour coherent justification, but not the coherence theory of truth [Dancy,J]
     Full Idea: Internalists such as Keith Lehrer tend to suggest that we adopt a coherence theory of justification but reject the coherence theory of truth.
     From: Jonathan Dancy (Intro to Contemporary Epistemology [1985], 8.3)
     A reaction: I agree with Lehrer. Truth just isn't coherence, for all sorts of well known reasons (found in this database!). High coherence can be totally false. For justification, though, it is the best we have.