General Epistemology Key Definitions for the Desperate 1

General Epistemology Key Definitions for the Desperate Term Definition Ordinary Doubt The doubting of the evidence of some Propositions Philosophical Doubt The doubting of every Proposition that is logically possible to Doubt Truth A property that a proposition can have, meaning it can be said to be true/false Correspondence Theory Correspondence theory states that a proposition is true if it matches with reality Coherence Theory Coherence theory states that a proposition is true if it is mutually and inferentially supported by a system of other propositions Pragmatic Theory Pragmatic theory states that a proposition is true if it is successful in practice or cognitively useful Belief An acceptance/conviction in the truth or reliability of a claim Justification To be justified is to have rational reasons or evidence for believing something to be true Perception Perception is a method of knowing where one is aware of a proposition through the senses, causing him to believe the proposition Direct Realism Perceivers directly perceive objects which exist independently of them Naive Direct Realism All the properties of Objects exist independent of Perceivers Scientific Direct Realism Some of the properties of Objects are dependent on Perceivers Idealism Perceivers actually perceive collections of ideas that exist dependent on their perception Phenomenalism Perceivers observe possible collections of ideas that are dependent on perceivers for their existence; when unobserved they exist as possible collections of ideas Memory Memory is a method of knowing whereby a subject remembers a proposition, causing him to believe the proposition Testimony Testimony is a method of knowing where a speaker tells a hearer a proposition, causing the hearer to believe the proposition Reductionism Reductionism states that we form beliefs based on Testimony because of Memory, Experience and Inference; Testimony can be reduced in to other Methods of Knowing and is not a basic Method of Knowing by itself

Non-Reductionism Non-reductionism states that we form beliefs based on testimony because of an innate faculty that is non confirmed by memory, experience or inference that causes us to trust the testifier Reason Reason is a method of knowing whereby logical methods are used, causing a subject to believe a proposition Deductive Reasoning Deductive reasoning refers to reasoning that moves from the general to the specific Inductive Reasoning Inductive reasoning refers to reasoning that moves from the specific to the general Abductive Reasoning Abductive reasoning refers to reasoning that makes the best possible inference from given evidence Introspection Introspection is a method of knowing where internal self-evaluation implies a proposition, thus causing one to believe a proposition Intuition Intuition is a method of knowing where immediate abstract thinking implies a proposition, causing one to believe the proposition Faith Faith refers to a personal trust or hope that a proposition is true that causes a subject to believe the proposition Rationalism Rationalism asserts that there are significant ways in which knowledge and concepts are gained independent of sense experience Empiricism Empiricism asserts that sense experience is the dominant foundation of Knowledge Intuition/Deduction Thesis The intuition-deduction thesis states that some propositions in a subject area can be known through intuition alone, others can be known by deduction from intuited propositions Innate Knowledge Thesis The innate knowledge thesis states that have knowledge of some truths in a subject area due to our rational nature Folk Psychology Folk Psychology refers to universal common sense generalisations that connect mental states to one’s environment body and behavior Innate Concept Thesis The innate concept thesis states that we have some concepts that we apply in a subject area owing to our rational nature Concept An idea that allows for generalisation and extension from known objects to unknown objects Indispensability of Reason Thesis The indispensability of reason hypothesis states that the knowledge or concepts we have in a particular area could not have been gained by sense experience Superiority of Reason Thesis The superiority of reason thesis states that knowledge or concepts gained innately or by intuition and deduction in a particular subject area is superior to knowledge gained by

sense experience Empiricism Thesis The empiricism thesis states that we have no source for knowledge or concepts used in a specific subject area besides sense experience Certainty The pursuit of certainty implies that justification must be maximally good for knowledge Fallibilism Fallibilism implies that justification must be good for knowledge Ontological Internalism Ontological Internalism states that Justification must be grounded in one’s first person experience or reason Access Internalism Access internalism states that a believer must be aware or be capable of being aware of the justifiers of his belief in order to be justified in believing Ontological Externalism Ontological Externalism states that justification can come from sources beyond one’s awareness Access Externalism Access Externalism states that a believer does not need to be aware or to be capable of being aware of the justifiers of his belief Analytic Analytic propositions are true by virtue of their meaning Synthetic Synthetic propositions are true by their relation to reality, rather than true by definition