What is knowledge? How are our perceptions
related to reality?
Epistemology revision
Overarching Key Positions
question
Naïve realism
December 2014
Key Vocab &
Arguments For
Philosophers
Russel
“common sense”
Veridical
pre-philosophical viewpoint
perception
language implies this
Subjectively
relationship
indistinguishable
Indirect Realism
Sense data
Locke
Primary & secondary
qualities
Idealism
Sense data is caused by
and represents the external
world
Arguments Against
Perceptual variation
Time lag
Illusion
Hallucination & dream
Solipsism as a result?
Inseparability of primary
and secondary qualities
Differing nature of primary
and secondary qualities
Master argument
Arguments against indirect
realism
Plato
Justification : racist juror
Necessity &
Truth : Raquel and the Flat
sufficiency
earth
Scientific method Belief : “I don’t believe it – I
know it” etc
Weaknesses on
‘arguments’ p/point
“no false lemmas”
Infallibilism
Descartes
Almost no knowledge survives
radical doubt
Reliabilism
tracking
Tripartite Definition
Berkeley
Esse es percipi
Avoids ‘lucky truth’
Gettier examples : JTB
without knowledge.
Eg “12 o’clock in town”
based upon a broken
clock
Infinite lemma network?
Reliable = tracks truth