Theory of Knowledge

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”
• Inference to the Best Explanation Vogel, “Cartesian Skepticism and Inference to the Best Explanation”
• Denying Closure Dretske, “Epistemic Operators”
• Contextualism Lewis, “Elusive Knowledge”
• Semantic Externalism Putnam, “Brains in a Vat”
• 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 Excerpts from “Skepticism”, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• 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, "Evidentialism"

Unit 3 · The Role and Point of Knowledge

Topic changes each semester.

• 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, Pensées (excerpts)