An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge

✍ Scribed by Noah Lemos

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 244
• Series: Cambridge Introductions to Philosophy
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Philosophy is woefully lacking in good introductory surveys in its various subdisciplines... which is why it's so great to see a book like this -- an accessible, clearly-written, comprehensive intro to epistemology. It covers all the basics (the "standard view" of knowledge as justified true belief, Gettier problems, foundationalism/coherentism/relaibilism, etc.) and has a decent balance of theoretical discussion and specific examples. Also, it highlights some of the more recent developments in the field (e.g. writings by Ernest Sosa). While not perfect -- for example, sometimes terms aren't defined as thoroughly as they could/should be -- for my money this is the best intro epistemology survey out there. (Though Richard Feldman's is also good. Feldman's is probably best if you have no background in philosophy, while this is a little more philosophically rigorous.)

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Preface......Page 11
1 Knowledge, truth, and justification......Page 13
Three senses of "knows"......Page 14
Propositional knowledge and justified true belief......Page 17
Belief......Page 19
Truth......Page 21
Epistemic justification......Page 25
Justification, evidence, and defeat......Page 29
The Gettier problem......Page 34
The no false grounds approach......Page 39
The defeasibility approach......Page 43
The causal approach......Page 49
Some concluding comments......Page 53
Foundationalism and justified basic beliefs......Page 56
The regress argument......Page 59
Classical foundationalism......Page 62
Modest foundationalism......Page 67
What justifies basic beliefs?......Page 69
Objections to foundationalism......Page 73
The dilemma of nondoxastic justification......Page 74
Coherence and two simple coherence theories......Page 78
Coherence vs. foundations: objections to foundationalism......Page 85
The isolation argument......Page 92
The isolation argument (second version)......Page 93
Reliabilism......Page 97
Three objections to reliabilism......Page 102
Virtue epistemology......Page 110
Internalism and externalism......Page 120
The problem of epistemic circularity......Page 129
The problem of Roxanne......Page 138
7 Skepticism......Page 143
Certainty, infallibility, and error......Page 145
The certainty argument......Page 146
The infallibility argument......Page 148
The argument from error......Page 150
The argument from ignorance......Page 151
The argument from ignorance......Page 152
The Moorean response......Page 155
The argument from ignorance......Page 156
Moore's counterargument......Page 157
The relevant alternatives response......Page 159
The contextualist response......Page 161
The "inference to the best explanation" response......Page 164
Chisholm and the problem of the criterion......Page 170
What's wrong with methodism?......Page 175
Argument A......Page 177
The objection from supervenience......Page 178
Does particularism stifle epistemic inquiry?......Page 181
Moser's objections to common sense particularism......Page 182
Is common sense particularism dogmatic?......Page 188
A priori justification......Page 191
Strong and modest a priori justification......Page 199
The analytic-synthetic distinction......Page 205
Quine and the replacement thesis......Page 213
Kornblith and the Darwinian argument......Page 216
The Darwinian argument......Page 217
A posteriori epistemology......Page 220
Epistemic values and natural facts......Page 224
Limited naturalism......Page 227
Select bibliography......Page 231
Index......Page 239

✦ Subjects

Философские дисциплины;Философия;Гносеология и эпистемология;