Theories of knowledge and justified belief, including rationalism, empiricism, and classic skeptical challenges.
37 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- What is epistemology?
- The branch of philosophy that studies knowledge, belief, and justified belief.
- What is the traditional definition of knowledge?
- Justified true belief (JTB).
- Define justification.
- The property of a belief being supported by adequate reasons or evidence.
- What is rationalism?
- The view that knowledge or justified belief comes primarily from reason and innate ideas.
- What is empiricism?
- The view that knowledge comes primarily from sensory experience.
- Name three key rationalist philosophers.
- Descartes, Leibniz, and Spinoza.
- Name three key empiricist philosophers.
- Locke, Hume, and Berkeley.
- What is skepticism?
- The position that knowledge or justified belief is impossible or extremely difficult to obtain.
- Describe the skeptical argument from illusion.
- Our senses can deceive us, so knowledge based on sensory experience is uncertain.
- What is the regress problem for justification?
- If justification requires a reason, and that reason needs justification, then justification either regresses infinitely or must stop somewhere.
- What is foundationalism?
- The theory that some beliefs are foundational and self-justifying, while all other beliefs derive justification from them.
- What is coherentism?
- The view that a belief is justified when it coheres well with a person's entire system of beliefs.
- What is infinitism?
- The view that infinite chains of justifying reasons can properly justify a belief without circularity or a foundation.
- What is the Gettier problem?
- Cases where someone has a justified true belief but lacks knowledge because the justification does not appropriately connect to the truth.
- Define a priori knowledge.
- Knowledge that does not depend on sensory experience.