Epistemology: 13.Goldman's Reliabilism Flashcards
What is reliabilism?
Reliabilism makes knowledge more attainable by removing justification and allowing for any reliable process.
What is a reliable process?
A reliable process is any process that produces a high percentage of true beliefs, such as memory, perception, and reason.
How does reliabilism view knowledge? (In terms of praise )
Knowledge is seen as a ‘natural good’, rather than something ‘praiseworthy’.
What does reliabilism allow for?
It allows for children and animal knowledge, which is important for definitions of knowledge.
What are Gettier cases?
Gettier cases are scenarios that demonstrate that justified true belief (JTB) is not sufficient for knowledge.
Can reliabilism fall prey to Gettier cases?
Yes, there may be a ‘sufficiency gap’ between ‘reliable’ and ‘truth’ in reliabilism.
What is the Fake Barn County example?
-In Fake Barn County, Henry believes he sees a barn, and calls it a barn, but there are many fake barns.
- he passes the only real barn and says it’s a barn.
-making his belief only accidentally true.
-This belief is true and is based on a very reliable process (vision.)
What does Goldman’s response to Fake Barn County?
-The reliability of a process can be undermined by circumstances, affecting knowledge claims.
-While in fake barn county – the use of vision to determine that a barn is real becomes an unreliable process. So, Henry is wrong to say that any of the barns here are fake.
-he problem being that in Barn County, the reliable process has produced a true belief in circumstances in which the belief still seems only accidentally true.
What is Goldman’s Developed Reliabilism?
Goldman’s Developed Reliabilism states that S knows that p if and only IFF:
1) p is true,
2) S believes that p,
3) S’s belief is caused by a cognitive reliable process,
4) S can discriminate between relevant possibilities.
How does Goldman’s theory address Fake Barn County?
It suggests that Henry did not have the necessary information to know he was in Fake Barn County, so his belief is not knowledge.
What is the issue for consideration regarding reliably formed true belief?
The objection is that ‘reliably formed belief’ may not be sufficient for justification.
Who argued against developed reliabilism? And why?
Laurence BonJour argued that a reliably clairvoyant person’s belief may not be justified if they believe clairvoyance does not exist.
Outline the reliabilist definition of knowledge?
The reliabilism definition of knowledge states that S knows that P IFF:
1. P is True
2. S Believes that P
3. P is formed by a reliable cognitive process.
