Limits of Knowledge

Cards (35)

  • Criticism of reliabilism
    The argument that reliabilism fails to adequately account for the relationship between beliefs and justifications
  • Reliability of beliefs
    The extent to which beliefs are produced by a reliable process and considered knowledge
  • Reliable belief
    A belief produced by a reliable process and considered knowledge
  • Berkeley's response to doubt
    The idealist view that reality is dependent on our perceptions and that we have secure knowledge because we are directly aware of it
  • Russell's response to doubt

    The belief that the existence of a physical world is the best explanation for the regularity and predictability of our sense experiences
  • Locke's response to doubt
    The belief that while skepticism may be possible at a theoretical level, it is not practical and we can have well-founded opinions about the world
  • Indubitable
    Unable to be doubted or questioned
  • Infallibilism
    The belief that knowledge requires absolute certainty and justification
  • Brain in a vat scenarios
    Thought experiments raising doubts about the reliability of our perceptions and the existence of an external world
  • External justification
    Justification based on evidence or reasoning independent of personal experiences
  • Internal justification

    Justification based on personal experiences or introspection
  • Justification
    Reasons or evidence that support a belief or claim
  • Cogito
    The Latin phrase 'I think, therefore I am', used by Descartes as a starting point for establishing certain knowledge
  • Reliable process
    A method or mechanism that consistently produces accurate or valid results
  • Gap between perception and reality
    The difference or disconnect between how we perceive the world and how it actually is
  • Idealist view of perception
    The belief that reality is dependent on our perceptions and does not exist independently
  • Material world
    The physical reality that exists independently of our perceptions
  • Abduction
    An inference to the best explanation
  • Reliabilism
    A theory of knowledge defining knowledge as reliably produced true belief
  • Brain in a vat
    A thought experiment suggesting that one's experiences and perceptions could be generated by an external source, such as a computer simulation
  • Perceptual error
    Mistaken perception or misinterpretation of sensory information
  • Waves of doubt
    Successive stages of doubt employed by Descartes to challenge and rebuild his system of belief
  • Method of doubt
    A systematic approach of suspending judgment and doubting all previously held beliefs
  • Descartes' Meditations
    A philosophical work by René Descartes exploring skepticism and attempting to establish certain knowledge
  • Fundamental beliefs
    Core principles or convictions that shape one's worldview
  • Practicalities of life
    Everyday concerns and considerations
  • Physical objects
    Tangible items that exist in the physical world
  • Theoretical skepticism
    Doubt used as a tool to test the strength of knowledge claims
  • Global conspiracy of misinformation
    A widespread and coordinated effort to spread false or misleading information
  • Evidence
    Facts or information that support or refute a claim
  • Thoughts or feelings
    Mental processes or emotions
  • Normal incredulity
    Doubt based on evidence and reason in ordinary life
  • Philosophical skepticism

    Extreme doubt about things that are difficult or impossible to doubt in ordinary life
  • Skepticism
    The questioning or doubting of knowledge claims
  • Limits of knowledge
    The boundaries of what can be known or understood