Epistemology; Definition of Knowledge

• why is the original Gettier case not knowledge


  Because it was only luck that led Smith to be correct
• what does the Gettier case tell us about JTB

  that its conditions are not sufficient for knowledge
• Original Gettier case example

  • Smith and Jones are interviewing for the same job
  • Smith hears the interviewer say “I’m going to give Jones the job”
  • Smith also sees Jones count 10 coins from his pocket
  • Smith thus forms the belief that “the man who will get the job has 10 coins in his pocket”
  • But Smith gets the job, not Jones
  • Then Smith looks in his pocket and, by coincidence, he also has 10 coins in his pocket
• whats the first problem for Tripartite definition of knowledge

  Gettier cases
• what is a Gettier case


  A Gettier case is an example of JTB conditions being fulfilled but knowledge not being present
• what is a necessary condition


  condition that must be present for an event to occur. e.g a bachelor has the necessary condition of being unmarried to be a bachelor
• what is a sufficient condition


  condition that if fulfilled guarantees the truth of a certain statement. e.g if you are a bachelor you are definitely unmarried
• knowledge 


  Conditions of JTB being fulfilled
• Why can Justification condition be seen as non necessary

  Because Children and Animals are able to obtain knowledge without being able to justify it
• why can Belief condition of JTB be non necessary

  You can imagine something where someone knows something, however doesn't believe it. e.g the womens boyfriend was abusing her child.
• Whats the point of adding NFL to JTB

  To strengthen the Justification condition in JTB
• how is NFL applied to JTB

  Essentially by adding another condition that the knowledge is not inferred from anything false, Smiths belief of 10 coins was inferred from a false belief
• what is the problem for NFL

  Fake Barn County
• What is fake barn county

  • Locals create a fake barn county
  • Henry is driving through fake barn county but isn't aware there are fake barns
  • he often thinks "there's a barn" when he sees a fake one
  • those beliefs are knowledge, because they aren't true, their fake
  • however on one occasion, he says "there's a barn" to a real barn, this time his belief is true and justified by his visual perception of the barn and it isn't inferred from anything false
  • according to JTB+NFL, Henry's belief is knowledge; but its clearly not because Henry just got lucky which means NFL is incorrect
• What is a Reliable Method (reliabilism)

  A reliable method is a method that leads to a high percentage of true beliefs
• example of a Reliable method

  having good eyesight would constitute as a reliable method of forming true beliefs
• an example of a unreliable method


  guessing or using a biased source
• Whats an advantage of reliabilism


  allows for Children and Animals to have knowledge
• why does reliabilism allow children and animals to have knowledge?

  Because even if a child or animal can't justify its belief, it still has knowledge because it is using a reliable method
• problem for reliabilism


  fake barn county (again)
• why is fake barn county a problem for reliabilism

  because Henrys true belief is caused by a reliable process (his eyesight). This still leads to Henry obtaining knowledge through luck
• What does Virtue Epistemology believe about Knowledge

  definitions of knowledge is always a link between a belief and intellectual virtues.
• what does Zagzebski say about all the attempts of redefining JTB

  Lucky Gettier cases are still able to fit through because every attempt is just JTB + A third condition which are not linked
• Zagzebskis definition of knowledge

  Knowledge arises as a product of intellectual virtues.
• How does intellectual virtues allow you to achieve knowledge

  Because you are acting virtuously to achieve the truth and reliably form true beliefs
• What three properties does Sosa have in his virtue epistemology

  Accuracy, adroitness and aptness
• what is adroitness


  the believer in the case of knowledge is intellectually virtuous
• what is aptness


  the belief is true because of the believers intellectual virtues
• How does aptness help narrow down knowledge

  Aptness states that knowledge must be a direct consequence of the believers intellectual virtues and nothing other
• How does Sosa's aptness help us deal with fake barn county

  Sosa argues that yes Henry's belief is accurate, its also adroit (because of his good eyesight) but it isn't apt because the knowledge was formed as a product of luck, not from his intellectual virtues
• problem for Virtue Epistemology

  It rules out the fact children and animals are able to obtain knowledge despite possibly not having intellectual virtues.
• Final arguement against Gettier

  Infallibilism. Infallibilism argues for a belief to count as knowledge, it must be true and justified in a way that it makes it undoubtedly certain
• Problem for infallibilism


  Its way too strict. e.g "i know that water boils at 100c" would be doubted by infallibilism saying your teacher is lying to you, you could have misread the thermometer or your a brain in a vat and water doesn't exist. life wouldn't be able to go on
• List out the main points of Definition of Knowledge

  • Tripartite definition of knowledge (JTB)
  • Problem; Gettier case
  • Examples of how each condition of JTB is non necessary
  • JTB+NFL
  • Problem; Fake Barn County
  • Reliabilism;
  • Problem; Fake Barn County (again)
  • Virtue Epistemology (Zagzebskis)
  • Virtue Epistemology (Sosa)
  • Problem; children and animals
  • Infallibilism
  • Problem; too strict