Epistemology Glossary

Knowledge or justification that depends on sensory experience or empirical evidence.

Knowledge or justification that is independent of sensory experience, obtainable through reason alone.

A statement that is true by virtue of the meanings of its terms alone, such as 'All bachelors are unmarried.'

A theory of justification in which beliefs are justified by their coherence with a mutually supporting system of beliefs.

The view that the standards for knowledge attributions vary depending on the context of the attributor.

Uncritical adherence to beliefs without adequate justification or openness to revision.

The epistemological view that sensory experience is the primary source of knowledge.

A wrong done to someone in their capacity as a knower, such as having testimony dismissed due to prejudice.

The property of having adequate reasons, evidence, or grounds for holding a belief.

The branch of philosophy concerned with the nature, sources, and limits of knowledge.

The view that justification can depend on factors external to the believer's awareness, such as the reliability of cognitive processes.

The position that any belief could, in principle, be mistaken; knowledge does not require absolute certainty.

The theory that knowledge rests on a foundation of basic, self-evident beliefs from which other beliefs derive justification.

A counterexample to the justified true belief account of knowledge where JTB is satisfied but knowledge is intuitively absent.

Ideas or knowledge that are present in the mind from birth, not derived from experience. A rationalist concept.

The view that justification depends on factors that are cognitively accessible to the believer.

The classical definition of knowledge: a belief that is true and for which the believer has adequate justification.

The approach that treats epistemology as continuous with the empirical sciences rather than as a purely a priori discipline.

The view that the truth or justification of beliefs is connected to their practical consequences and usefulness.

The epistemological view that reason is the primary source of knowledge, and that some truths can be known a priori.

The theory that a belief is justified if it is produced by a cognitive process that reliably yields true beliefs.

The position that questions or denies the possibility of certain knowledge in some or all domains.

The study of the social dimensions of knowledge, including testimony, trust, expertise, and collective inquiry.

A statement whose truth depends on how the world is, not merely on the meanings of its terms. Example: 'Snow is white.'

Knowledge acquired through the reports or assertions of other people, a major source of everyday knowledge.