PHIL107 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Virtue Epistemology, Virtue Ethics, Reliabilism
29 May 2018
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PHIL107
Lecture wk 7: knowledge/ epistemology
Theory of knowledge
Two kinds of knowledge
• Propositional knowledge (can be true or false)
Knowing facts or propositions:
Proposition:
Complete thoughts that can be expressed in declarative sentences
The criterion for being a proposition:
"that for which the question of a truth can arise' (Frege)
Knowing 'how' is ubiquitous (found everywhere) in the animal kingdom
Eg knowing how to ride a bike, pick up a glass, dial a phone number
Tripartite analysis if knowledge
To know a fact or proposition requires having justified true belief.
S believes that P
Could S know a quiz answer if S does not believe the answer is correct
P is true
Could S know that P even is P is false
S is justified in believing that P
Belief --> justification --> knowledge
The methodological challenge of radical scepticism
How do you know you're not a brain in a vat?
What you think vs reality vs other possible realities (brain in vat)
Descartes
'I think therefore I am'
Cogito --> ergo --> sum
The mere possibility that sceptical hypothesis might be true is enough to ruin our chances of
knowing anything at all - or much of anything
Need to justify claim
If sceptical hypothesis might be true then in the good case it is mere epistemic luck that our
experiences are caused in the right way and not by some 'evil genius'
• We don't know if we are in reality or other
Argument:
If we really were brains in vats we would not be able to "refer to what we can refer to" - I particular
they cannot think and say that they are brains in a vat
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