What is the standard definition of knowledge in philosophy?
Knowledge is often defined as justified true belief. A person must believe something, it must be true, and they must have good reasons for holding that belief.
Questions about Knowledge
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When did Edmund Gettier publish his paper challenging the definition of knowledge?
In 1963, epistemologist Edmund Gettier published a paper that challenged this standard definition. He presented thought experiments showing cases where people had beliefs that were both true and justified yet still did not count as knowledge.
Who introduced the concept of knowledge by acquaintance?
Bertrand Russell first introduced this concept arguing it is more basic than propositional knowledge. To understand any proposition one must be acquainted with its constituents.
Which philosopher argued souls already possess knowledge needing only recollection to access it again?
Plato argued souls already possess knowledge needing only recollection to access it again. Descartes proposed innate knowledge present within every human mind.
What does radical skepticism claim about human capacity for certainty?
Radical skepticism holds humans lack any form of knowledge claiming it is impossible altogether. The dream argument suggests perceptual experience provides unreliable information since dreaming mimics waking life.
When did major civilizations rise around the invention of writing?
Major civilizations rose around 3000 BCE in Mesopotamia Egypt India China marking invention writing era. Writing significantly increased stable knowledge stored shared without limited imperfect human memory.