All Questions
Tagged with justification epistemology
34
questions
2
votes
3
answers
118
views
Is it ever rational or justified to believe in a claim X based on eyewitness accounts if X seems to contradict mainstream scientific theories? [duplicate]
Can the testimony of multiple credible witnesses challenge the conventional understanding of the laws of physics? If several trustworthy individuals report events that appear to contradict well-...
4
votes
6
answers
801
views
Is it epistemologically self-consistent to use the scientific method to justify some beliefs and non-scientific justifications for others?
Let’s call B(p) the set of all beliefs a person p holds. We can denote S(B(p)) as the subset of beliefs held by p for which they can provide a scientific justification, and NS(B(p)) as the set B(p) ...
6
votes
1
answer
107
views
Similarities and differences between an evidentialist justification and a reliabilist justification for a belief?
Evidentialism
Evidentialism in epistemology is defined by the following thesis about epistemic justification:
(EVI) Person S is justified in believing proposition p at time t if and only if S’s ...
5
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Is belief in abiogenesis justified under evidentialism and process reliabilism?
Asking whether a belief X is justified can lead to very opinion-based answers (e.g., Does life have a natural or supernatural origin?), but I don't think this necessarily has to be the case if we ...
1
vote
4
answers
154
views
Can a reliabilist have a reliably justified belief in God?
Reliabilism is defined by several sources as follows:
Reliabilism is an approach to the nature of knowledge and of justified belief. Reliabilism about justification, in its simplest form, says that a ...
2
votes
10
answers
2k
views
What sorts of beliefs can be justified non-scientifically?
Can I be justified in believing in a proposition X through a justification that doesn't meet the standards of the scientific method? What sorts of beliefs would be justifiable in this way (non-...
1
vote
6
answers
660
views
Are there non-scientific ways to have a justified belief in levitation?
Levitation, as a paranormal phenomenon, has been reported more than once. For instance, it is not totally uncommon to hear about reports of levitation among exorcists (e.g., see these sources).
Is it ...
7
votes
2
answers
200
views
How can I justify trusting my own thoughts without begging the question?
Suppose I attempt to justify trusting my own thoughts with an argument. Suppose I read the argument and find it compelling. The very process of reading an argument (presumably written in English or ...
4
votes
6
answers
184
views
Ground vs justification?
I'm wondering if there is a technical distinction I've been missing between 'ground' and 'justification' in philosophy. If I say that my true belief is 'grounded', isn't that the same as saying that ...
2
votes
3
answers
286
views
If A is justified in believing in X based on their personal experience, can B also be justified in believing in X based on A's testimony?
The title already expresses the question perfectly well, so I don't see much point in complicating the question further, beyond including a few thought-provoking examples below:
Example 1: The ...
2
votes
4
answers
173
views
Can belief in God be grounded in (and justified by) personal experience rather than philosophical argumentation?
Attempts at legitimizing belief in God through reasoned philosophical argumentation abound in the fields of natural theology and apologetics. This is particularly evident in formal debates and ...
3
votes
5
answers
692
views
Are we only justified in holding beliefs that are supported by evidence susceptible to peer review, leading to substantial intersubjective consensus?
In other words, what about beliefs rooted in personal experiences that cannot be scrutinized or validated through a rigorous peer-review process? This often occurs in religious, mystical, or spiritual ...
4
votes
7
answers
223
views
Are two persons equally rational in choosing different dogmatic stopping points in their chains of justification as per the Münchhausen trilemma?
In epistemology, the Münchhausen trilemma is a thought experiment
intended to demonstrate the theoretical impossibility of proving any
truth, even in the fields of logic and mathematics, without ...
3
votes
1
answer
118
views
Can the AC-DC argument against infinitism be defused?
Infinitism is the epistemic theory that claims that justification is only achieved by an infinite chain of non-repeating reasons.
At first, this feels like the "troll" theory of epistemic ...
1
vote
1
answer
31
views
Questions about the Justification part of knowledge (justified true belief)
There is a so-called Justified, true belief as knowledge.
When was the justification part of the definition of knowledge
started to become explicitly stated and not merely implied? Who
wrote about it ...