Plato's Theory of Knowledge Flashcards
Criteria of Knowledge
Truth
Belief
Justification
Truth
The claim must correspond with factual reality. That is, it must be true.
Establishing the truth of a claim is quite simple in some cases but can be extremely difficult (even verging on impossible) in others.
Still, whether we can establish it or not, there is a truth to which our claim must either conform or not.
Belief
I must actually have a belief that it is actually true
If I am making the claim but do not actually believe it myself (for example if I am doing it for the sake of argument or to manipulate or deceive people) then I can not “know” what is being claimed since I, myself reject it.
Even if the claim were true, the fact that I did not believe the truth, even while claiming it, would mean that I didn’t “know” it.
Justification
you must have a reason (justification) for making the claim.
if you guessed in making the claim and had no reason to back it up then your claim cannot be classified as knowledge
Even if you have a true belief, it cannot be considered “knowledge” if it has no reason to have believed in the first place.
It is important to note that justification requires a reasonable and rational reason for the belief.
If you believe a thing because of superstition, misunderstanding or unreasonable biases that it would not be considered valid justification.
Gettier Cases
The American philosopher Edmund Gettier challenged this approach to classifying knowledge by providing hypothetical examples of situations where a person could hold a “Justified True Belief,” based on a justification that turns out to be false or coincidental.
The ultimate claim is that, even if you have truth and belief based on a reasonable justification, if that justification was false or coincidental then your claim cannot be true knowledge.
This is because the event of your claim being true in this case is ultimately a matter of luck or chance. Thus, it should not be considered knowledge.
