Wednesday, October 17, 2018

epistemology's main characters


belief: a mental state of acceptance. 

suspension of belief: You neither accept nor reject a belief (the skeptic's position)

justification: the reasons for believing (not all reasons for believing are necessarily reasonable; we'll talk about that).

explanation: Explaining means describing what IS. 

truth: truth is a fact. a fact IS (you don't need to prove it). 

Examples: "1+1=2," a mathematical fact; "H20 is water," a chemical fact; "slavery is wrong," a moral fact, 

What do we do if we don't have the facts? We look for alternative definitions. 

pragmatic definition of truth: Truth is what best does the job at hand. meaning if it works, it's likely true. 

coherence definition of truth: Truth is what coheres with the rest of our knowledge.

Why is H304 a good class? 

Justification: H304's room is inviting, the professor is animated, and the class is well-behaved.

Explanation: H304 is a good glass because the room has six windows providing good lighting, and the furniture is comfortable and spaciously ordered.   


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