Theory of Knowledge
Florida International University · Upper-level undergraduate
Readings in sequence, by unit.
Introduction
- What Is Epistemology? Bailey, “But How Do I Participate?” Optional: Nagel, Knowledge, ch. 1
Unit 1 · External World Skepticism
- The Skeptical Problem Descartes, Meditations, Meditation 1
- The Commonsense Response Moore, “Proof of an External World”
- Entitlement Hazlett, “How to Defeat Belief in the External World”
- Evidentialism Markosian, “Do You Know That You Are Not a Brain in a Vat?”
- Denying Closure Dretske, “Epistemic Operators”
- Contextualism Lewis, “Elusive Knowledge”
- Semantic Externalism Putnam, “Brains in a Vat” (excerpts)
- Moore, Reconsidered Pryor, “The Skeptic and the Dogmatist”
- Ambitious Anti-Skepticism Rinard, “Reasoning One’s Way Out of Skepticism”
Unit 2 · The Analysis and Structure of Knowledge and Justification
- Gettier Problems Gettier, “Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?”
- Responses to Gettier Goldman, “A Causal Theory of Knowing”; Clark, “Knowledge and Grounds”
- The Inescapability of Gettier Problems Zagzebski, “The Inescapability of Gettier Problems”
- Pyrrhonian Skepticism “Pyrrhonian Skepticism”
- Foundationalism and Coherentism Sosa, “The Raft and the Pyramid”
- Infinitism Klein, “Infinitism Is the Solution to the Regress Problem”
- Reliabilism Goldman, “What Is Justified Belief?”
- Evidentialism Conee & Feldman
Unit 3 · The Role and Point of Knowledge
- Testimony Craig, Knowledge and the State of Nature (excerpts)
- Epistemic Injustice Fricker, Epistemic Injustice, ch. 1
- Knowledge Norms: Assertion Williamson, “Knowing and Asserting”
- Knowledge Norms: Action Hawthorne & Stanley, “Knowledge and Action”
- Pragmatic Encroachment Fantl & McGrath, “Evidence, Pragmatics, and Justification”
- Pascal’s Wager Pascal