What is Knowledge? The Limits of Knowledge

What are the three types of knowledge?

Acquaintance knowledge, ability knowledge, and propositional knowledge

What is acquaintance knowledge?

Knowledge of someone or something through direct experience

What is ability knowledge?

Knowledge of how to do something

What is propositional knowledge?

Knowledge that a particular proposition or statement is true

Which type of knowledge is most important in philosophy?

Propositional knowledge.

What does it mean to “analyse” propositional knowledge?

To break it down into necessary and sufficient conditions.

What are necessary conditions?

Conditions that must be true for knowledge to exist, but alone might not be enough.

What are sufficient conditions?

Conditions that, if met, guarantee knowledge.

What is the traditional (tripartite) definition of knowledge?

Knowledge is justified true belief (JTB).

What three conditions does the tripartite view say knowledge requires?

Belief, truth, and justification.

Why is belief necessary for knowledge?

You cannot know something unless you believe it to be true.

Why is truth necessary for knowledge?

You cannot know something that is false.

Why is justification necessary for knowledge?

You need good reasons or evidence for your belief.

What issue challenges whether the conditions are individually necessary?

Some cases suggest justification might not be needed if belief and truth are strong enough.

What issue challenges whether the conditions are jointly sufficient?

Gettier cases show that a justified true belief can still be lucky, and therefore not knowledge.

What are Gettier cases?

Examples where someone has a justified true belief, but it is true only by luck.

Give an example of a Gettier case.

Smith believes “the man who will get the job has 10 coins,” justified by evidence, but he gets the job himself by coincidence.

What do Gettier cases prove?

That justified true belief is not enough for knowledge

What is one way philosophers responded to Gettier cases?

By proposing an additional condition beyond justification, truth, and belief.