Knowledge and the State of Nature: An Essay in Conceptual Synthesis.

Abstract

Nature and motivation of project. Doubts answered. Plato, Pears, Hobbes, comparison with state-of-nature theory in political philosophy. Evolutionary epistemology Derivation of first condition the problem whether belief necessary. Necessary and sufficient conditions an unsuitable format. The prototypical case Need for third condition. Discussion of the Nozick - Dretske analysis Why causal theory, tracking, reliabilism all good approximations. Why justified true belief a good approximation. Comparison with Grice Distinction between informant and source of information its nature and point. Application to putative 'knowledge without belief' cases and to comparitivism: Goldman Being right by accident. All analyses insufficient. Blackburn: the Mirv/Pirv principle Local v. global reliabilism. Discussion of McGinn Externalist and internalist analyses. The first-person case. Knowing that one knows Insufficiency of the various analyses. The 'No false lemma' principle. Its rationale - and its effect Objectivisation. The 'cart before the horse' objection - and the response Lotteries and multiple premises: the pull towards certainty. Knowledge and natural laws Objectivisation and scepticism. Unger's first account Two explanations of scepticism: the first-person approach, and the absolute perspective Knowledge and involvement. What makes truth valuable? Testimony and the transmission of knowledge. Welbourne: believing the speaker Other locutions: Knowing Fred. Information v. acquaintance. Interacting with Fred. Knowing London - and German Other locutions: Knowing how to. The inquirier and the apprentice. 'Knows how to' compared with 'can' and with 'knows that' Appendix Unger's semantic relativism References Index