Virtually all philosophers agree that for a belief to be epistemically
justified, it must satisfy certain conditions. Perhaps it must be
supported by evidence. Or perhaps it must be reliably formed. Or
perhaps there are some other 'good-making' features it must have. But
does a belief's justification also require some sort of awareness of
its good-making features? The answer to this question has been hotly
contested in contemporary epistemology, creating a deep divide among
its practitioners. Internalists insist that such awareness is required
for justification whereas externalists insist that it isn't. The first
part of Michael Bergmann's book argues that internalism faces an
inescapable dilemma: either it leads to vicious regress problems and,
ultimately, radical skepticism, or it is entirely unmotivated. The
second part of the book begins by developing the author's own
externalist theory of justification, one imposing both a proper
function and a no-defeater requirement. Bergmann concludes by
demonstrating the failure of two prominent critiques of externalism,
namely, that it is infected with epistemic circularity and that it
cannot respond adequately to skepticism. Together, the two parts of
the book provide a decisive refutation of internalism and a sustained
defense of externalism. Moreover, they do so while placing a high
priority on making the author's opponents feel that their positions
and objections are understood.
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A Defense of Epistemic Externalism
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780191534669
Publisert
2020
Utgiver
Oxford University Press Academic UK
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter