epistemology test 2

self defeat argument for phenomenal conservatism

1. all relevant beliefs are based on appearances 2. belief is justified only if what it is based on is a source of justification for proposition believed 3. if PC is false then appearances are not source of justification for beliefs 4. therefore, if PC is false all (relevant) beliefs are unjustified 5. so, alternative epistemological theories to PC are self defeating, if such a theory was true our belief in it would be unjustified

Infinte regress argument for foundationalism or skepticism

1. reason must be either, circular, infinite or foundational 2. circular reasoning cannot yield knx/ justified beliefs 3. no one has infinite series of reasons 4. therefore, 1 c is only possible theory of knx/ jb 5. there is knx/ jb 6. so foundationalism is true

BonJour and Kleins objection to foundationalism

If F makes something foundational, are beliefs with F likely to be true? if yes then we have a reason to believe F, if no then why should we reason from such beliefs

Oakleys objection to foundational beliefs

any given belief depends on something for justification, for foundational belief, p there can be no factors for not believing p which he thinks is impossible to have

cognitively spontaneous beliefs

begin as unjustified and become justified when many fit into a system together, example is the hit and run example with the license plate and the people saying the same plate

infinitism

belief system is infinite and justification can go back forever, sort of finite infinity

warrent-transfer coherentism

beliefs transfer warrant around in a big circle,

objections to coherentism

circular reasoning-big circle are okay and little are bad, seems arbitrary, also justification is based on other things which need justification form the thing it is justified, all too circular alternate coherent systems-it is possible to construct belief systems with both p and not p while both are justified. this means neither is justified now so nothing is justified by coherence

warrant- emergent coherentism

coherence of a system makes the whole system justified, one system is coherent it is all justified

BonJour

coherentism, coherence theory

prima facie justfication

foundational and defeasible, capable of being defeated by other beliefs, opposite of an infallible foundational belief

foundationalism

idea that there are foundational beliefs that dont need justification in order for them to be true, some knx is foundational and other knx is based off of those foundational beliefs

phenomenal conservatism

if it seems to s that p, then s has at least some justification for believing that p

principle of avoiding arbitrariness

if x is warranted, there is a reason avaliable for x, and a reason for that reason, goes against foundationalism

principle of avoiding circulartiy

if y is in evidential ancestry of x, then x is not in ancestry of y, goes against coherentism

klein

infinitsm

occurrent vs. dispositional beliefs

occurrent- beliefs that one is thinking in the moment dispositional- things you believe that you arent thinking now, if were to be brought up you would have a belief about it

Huemer

phenomenal conservatism, foundationalism

coherentism

says other views, skepticism, foundational, infantilism, are all wrong therefore this is right, circular justification, all justiccation depends on other things for justification belief system justified by coherence

Oakley

skeptic, global, no reason to believe anything

defeaters

something that makes q untrue either due to counter example of it or by falsifying the justification for q

skepticism

theory that certain knowledge is impossible, due to things such as brain in vat scenario

finite mind objection and Kleins response (include how we may have infinite available beliefs)

we have a finite mind that is not capable of holding infinitely many beliefs so infinitism can't be true. Pleins reponse is that we dont need to hold these beliefs at all times but as long as you can form a belief when one is brought to you then it is possible to have infinite beliefs.