Feldman - Epistemology

EPISTEMOLOGY OVERVIEW

  • Author: Richard Feldman, University of Rochester

  • Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2003

  • ISBN: 0-13-341645-3

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING

  • Title: Epistemology

  • Categories: Knowledge, Theory of

CHAPTER 1: EPISTEMOLOGICAL QUESTIONS

  • The Standard View: A common perspective of knowledge which will be examined in this book.

  • Challenges to The Standard View: The assumptions and definitions will be questioned in later chapters.

CHAPTER 2: THE TRADITIONAL ANALYSIS OF KNOWLEDGE

  • Focus: Understanding the implications of traditional definitions of knowledge, particularly the Standard View.

  • Main Kinds of Knowledge:

    • Knowing an individual:

      • E.g., "The professor knows J.D. Salinger."

    • Knowing facts:

      • E.g., "The student knows that J.D. Salinger wrote The Catcher in the Rye."

    • Types include knowing who, when, whether, how, and more.

  • Propositional Knowledge:

    • Defined as knowledge that a certain proposition is true.

    • Example: "The librarian knows whether there is a book by J.D. Salinger in the library."

CHAPTER 3: MODIFICATION OF THE TRADITIONAL ANALYSIS

  • Justification: The concept of knowledge includes the necessity of justification for beliefs.

    • An example related to justified true belief is discussed where beliefs may be true but still lack knowledge due to insufficient justification.

CHAPTER 4: EVIDENTIALIST THEORIES OF KNOWLEDGE

  • Evidentialism: The belief that knowledge is based on evidence.

  • Foundationalism: A belief system where certain foundational beliefs are accepted as true without needing justification.

CHAPTER 5: NONEVIDENTIALIST THEORIES

  • Proper Function Theory: Focus on the reliability of cognitive faculties to attain knowledge.

    • Reliabilism: The stance that justification must involve reliable methods to reach true beliefs.

CHAPTER 6: SKEPTICISM

  • Two parts: Investigation into different forms of skepticism regarding knowledge.

  • Arguments for Skepticism: Counterarguments to the belief in knowledge will be presented.

CHAPTER 8: EPISTEMOLOGY AND SCIENCE

  • Relationship between scientific inquiry and knowledge.

  • Naturalistic Epistemology: Examines how our understanding of knowledge can be influenced by scientific methods and discoveries.

CHAPTER 9: EPISTEMOLOGICAL RELATIVISM

  • Forms of Relativism: Discussion on serious and ordinary standards of skepticism and knowledge.

  • Consideration of disagreements in epistemological viewpoints.

CHAPTER 10: CONCLUSION

  • Reflection on Traditional Analysis: The challenges and validity of the justified true belief analysis will be assessed.

KEY CONCEPTS IN EPISTEMOLOGY

  • Knowledge: Regarded as justified true belief; requires truth, belief, and justification.

  • Gettier Problem: Counterexamples to the traditional analysis, demonstrating cases of justified true belief that do not constitute