Epistemology: A Contemporary Introduction to the Theory of ...

1 Epistemology Audi s Introduction is at once philosophically insightful and masterfully written even more so in its new edition. Guaranteed to fascinate the beginner whileretaining its exalted status with the experts. Claudio de Almeida, PUCRS, Brazil My students like this book and have learned much from it, as I have ..Epistemology especially in its second edition is simply the best textbook inepistemology that I know of. Thomas Vinci, Dalhousie University, CanadaPraise for the first edition: No less than one would expect from a first-rate epistemologist who is also amaster expositor; lucid, comprehensive, well-structured, and excellently informedboth by the tradition and by recent developments.

2 A superb Introduction . Ernest Sosa, Brown University An excellent book. It is comprehensive in scope and very systematically organised. Philosophical Books This is a massively impressive book, introducing the reader to virtually all areasof epistemology. Robert Audi s text is lucid and highly readable, while notshirking the considerable complexities of the subject matter. Elizabeth Fricker,University of Oxford Easily among the best and most comprehensive introductions to epistemology. Noah Lemos, DePauw University A state-of-the-art Introduction to epistemology by one of the leading figures inthe field. William P. Alston, Syracuse UniversityEpistemology, or the Theory of knowledge, is concerned with how we know what wedo, what justifies us in believing what we do, and what standards of evidence weshould use in seeking truths about the world and human experience.

3 This compre-hensive book introduces the concepts and theories central for understandingknowledge. This revised edition builds on the topics covered in the widelyacclaimed first edition and includes new material on subjects such as virtue episte-mology, social epistemology and feminist epistemology. The chapter on moral,scientific and religious knowledge has also been expanded and revised. Robert Audiis the Charles J. Mach University Professor of Philosophy at theUniversity of Nebraska, Lincoln. He has published many books and articles in thefield and is Editor of the Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy(1995, 1999).

4 Routledge Contemporary Introductions to PhilosophySeries Editor:Paul K. MoserLoyola University of ChicagoThis innovative, well-structured series is for students who have already done anintroductory course in philosophy. Each book introduces a core general subjectin Contemporary philosophy and offers students an accessible but substantialtransition from introductory to higher-level college work in that subject. Theseries is accessible to non-specialists and each book clearly motivates andexpounds the problems and positions introduced. An orientating chapter brieflyintroduces its topic and reminds readers of any crucial material they need tohave retained from a typical introductory course.

5 Considerable attention isgiven to explaining the central philosophical problems of a subject and the maincompeting solutions and arguments for those solutions. The primary aim is toeducate students in the main problems, positions and arguments of contempo-rary philosophy rather than to convince students of a single EditionRobert AudiEthicsHarry GenslerMetaphysicsSecond EditionMichael J. LouxPhilosophy of ArtNo l CarrollPhilosophy of LanguageWilliam G. LycanPhilosopy of MindJohn HeilPhilosophy of ReligionKeith of ScienceAlex RosenbergSocial and Political PhilosophyJohn ChristmanEpistemologyA Contemporary Introduction to the Theory of knowledge Second editionRobert AudiFirst edition 1998by Routledge11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4 EESimultaneously published in the USA and Canadaby Routledge29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Second edition 2003 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group 2003 Robert AudiAll rights reserved.

6 No part of this book may be reprinted orreproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafterinvented, including photocopying and recording, or in anyinformation storage or retrieval system, withoutpermission in writing from the Library Cataloguing in Publication DataA catalogue record for this book is available from the BritishLibraryLibrary of Congress Cataloging in Publication DataA catalog record for this book has been requestedISBN 0 415 28108 3 (HBK)0 415 28109 1 (PBK)This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to ISBN 0-203-98707-1 Master e-book ISBNTo MalouContentsPreface to the first editionixPreface to the second editionxvIntroduction.

7 A sketch of the sources and nature of belief, justification, and knowledge1 Perception, belief, and justification1 Justification as process, as status, and as property2 Knowledge and justification3 Memory, introspection, and self-consciousness4 Reason and rational reflection5 Testimony5 Basic sources of belief, justification, and knowledge6 Three kinds of grounds of belief7 Fallibility and skepticism8 Overview9 Part OneSources of justification, knowledge, and truth131 Perception15 The elements and basic kinds of perception16 Seeing and believing21 Some commonsense views of perception30 The Theory of appearing32 Sense-datum theories of perception33 Adverbial theories of perception`38 Adverbial and sense-datum theories of sensory experience41 Phenomenalism43 Perception and the senses472 Memory55 Memory and the past57 The causal basis of memory beliefs58 theories of memory60 Remembering, recalling, and imaging66 Remembering, imaging.

8 And recognition67 The epistemological centrality of memory693 Consciousness75 Two basic kinds of mental properties76 Introspection and inward vision78 Some theories of introspective consciousness79 Consciousness and privileged access83 Introspective consciousness as a source of justification and knowledge884 Reason93 Self-evident truths of reason94 The classical view of the truths of reason96 The empiricist view of the truths of reason105 The conventionalist view of the truths of reason110 Some difficulties and strengths of the classical view114 Reason, experience, and a priori justification1195 Testimony131 The nature of testimony: formal and informal132 The psychology of testimony133 The epistemology of testimony137 The indispensability of testimonial grounds142 Part TwoThe structure and growth of justification and knowledge1536 Inference and the extension of knowledge155 The process, content.

9 And structure of inference157 Inference and the growth of knowledge161 Source conditions and transmission conditions for inferential knowledge and justification164 The inferential transmission of justification and knowledge167 Memorial preservation of inferential justification and inferential knowledge1777 The architecture of knowledge183 Inferential chains and the structure of belief184 The epistemic regress problem188 The epistemic regress argument192 Foundationalism and coherentism193viii ContentsHolistic coherentism195 The nature of coherence197 Coherence, reason, and experience200 Coherence and second-order justification206 Moderate foundationalism209 Part ThreeThe nature and scope of justification and knowledge2178 The analysis of knowledge219 Knowledge and justified true belief220 Knowledge as the right kind of justified true belief222 Naturalistic accounts of the concept of knowledge227 Problems for reliability theories230 Knowledge and justification235 Internalism and externalism in epistemology238 Justification and truth245 Concluding proposals2509 Scientific, moral.

10 And religious knowledge257 Scientific knowledge258 Moral knowledge267 Religious knowledge27810 Skepticism291 The possibility of pervasive error292 Skepticism generalized295 The egocentric predicament300 Fallibility301 Uncertainty304 Deducibility, evidential transmission, and induction310 The authority of knowledge and the cogency of its grounds313 Refutation and rebuttal317 Prospects for a positive defense of common sense318 Skepticism and common sense32311 Conclusion329 Short annotated bibliography of books in epistemology339 Index347 Contents ixPreface to the first editionThis book is a wide-ranging Introduction to epistemology, conceived as thetheory of knowledge and justification.