The Definition of Knowledge

The Definition of Knowledge

1. Intro

   • Types of knowledge
     • Acquaintance knowledge (knowing of)
     • Ability/skill knowledge (knowing how)
     • Propositional knowledge (knowing that)
   • The tripartite definition defines knowledge as a justified true belief. The three necessary conditions form the sufficient condition for knowledge.
     • Is each condition necessary?
       • JUSTIFIED - it is argued that you can know something even if you aren't justified in knowing it, like a racist juror.
       • TRUE - Rorty argues that we can never be sure that our evidence is perfectly accurate, so knowledge is dependent on the accepted justification. We can never know that knowledge is 'true' in an absolute sense.
       • BELIEF - We don't have to believe something to know it. E.g. we could have knowledge buried in our subconscious and just now be aware of it for some reason (like we can't fully remember it)

2. Gettier cases against JTB

   • 1st GETTIER CASE - Smith goes for a job interview. He believes Jones will get the job based on a good justification and knows he has 10 coins in his pocket. Smith himself gets the job but also has 10 coins in his pocket, so his belief that 'the man who will get the job has 10 coins in his pocket' is true.
   • 2nd GETTIER CASE - Smith knows Jones owned a Ford and Jones offers him a lift in one. His other friend Brown could be anywhere for all he knows. Smith comes up with the (odd) belief 'either Jones owns a Ford, or Brown is in Barcelona'. It turns out that Jones does not own a Ford any more, but in a crazy coincidence Brown IS in Barcelona, so his claim is true. No one would claim that Brown knew the proposition since he had no idea where Brown was.
     • In this one, Smith had a justification, but it was wrong. He was then simply lucky that Brown happened to be in Barcelona.
   • These show that the justification was mistaken. Smith was just lucky.

3. Infallibalism

4. NFL

5. Reliabilism

6. Virtue Epistemology