PHI 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Relate

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: PHI 1101
• Professor: Sascha Maicher

Document Summary

When assessing the content of a claim, we compare what is being stated to our background knowledge of the topic and recall previous memories to help us assess the credibility of the content of the claim. If the claim conflicts with our background knowledge, we are less likely to believe the claim. Background information can often be distorted or our ability to recall events may not be credible, so it is not a sure sign that the claim is false. We gain background knowledge from how perceptive and observant we are about the world. Background information cal also be affected by emotions, and the current mental state in which you experienced the information. Two questions you should always ask yourself when assessing a claim are: how credible is the source, and how does the claim correspond with your background information on the topic. When assessing the source of the claim, there are two kinds of sources.