How Claims of Knowledge Are Justified Foundationalism: knowledge claims are based on indubitable foundations –I can doubt whether there is a world, whether my reasoning can be trusted, and even if I have a body, but I cannot doubt that I am doubting (thinking). Knowledge of God and the world is based on intuitive knowledge of my own existence –Only sense experience can provide real knowledge of the world Descartes Locke

How Claims of Knowledge Are Justified Coherent: knowledge claims are justified only if they are consistent with other beliefs (including empirical beliefs) that support and complete the whole set of beliefs  Objections: –Against foundationalism: why think that any belief (intuitive or empirical) is justified? –Against coherentism: why think that a belief is true just because it coheres with others?

Knowledge and Justified True Belief Traditionally, “x knows p” means: –x believes that p; p is true; x is justified in believing that p Gettier problem: all three conditions could hold and still not have knowledge –Externalism (Plantinga): I might be warranted in my belief (if my procedure for getting the information is reliable) without being justified (i.e., I might not know how my belief is based on that procedure) Edmund Gettier