PHILOSOPHY

Unravelling the threads of knowledge: ‘Justified True Belief’ 🤔

Epistemology is the branch of philosophy all about knowledge. Big questions in epistemology include ‘what is knowledge?’ and ‘how do I acquire knowledge?’. One popular theory has always been the Justified True Belief Theory (we’ll call it the ‘JTB theory’ from now). The JTB theory posits that knowledge consists of three components: belief, truth, and justification. In other words, for me to say that ‘I know I am taller than Ben’ I must truly believe that I am taller than Ben, it must be true that I am actually taller than Ben, and that I have justified reason for believing that I am taller than Ben (e.g. he told me his height, or maybe I have stood next to him in real life).

💡 Things to consider

• Types of knowledge: This only seems to give us an insight into propositional knowledge. Also known as knowledge-that, propositional knowledge is knowledge by way of that clauses e.g. I know that Taylor Swift sang Blank Space. There is, however, other types of knowledge. Objectual knowledge is knowledge of people/places/things e.g. I know Taylor Swift. Practical knowledge is knowledge-how e.g. I know how to ride a bike. How do these types of knowledge intersect, and what makes them different?

• Gettier problems: Gettier problems (named after the dude, Edmund Gettier, who came up with them) are philosophical scenarios that challenge the traditional JTB theory of knowledge. They present situations where a belief is justified and true, yet intuition suggests it doesn't qualify as knowledge due to an element of luck or coincidence. For example, let’s say the time is 2:15. John glances at a broken clock that has stopped at 2:15 and believes it's 2:15; though his belief is true and based on the clock's face, it's not knowledge because he happened to look at the clock when it coincidentally displayed the correct time. Does this still count as knowledge? If not, how can we adjust JTB to take into consideration Gettier cases?

• Reliability and Sources of Justification: Examine the concept of justification and its relation to reliable sources of information. What counts as a legitimate source of justification? Analyse how different fields, such as science, history, and personal experience, establish their foundations of knowledge through distinct methods of justification. How does this link to Gettier problems?

🔎 Find out more

• Gettier Problems

• Gettier’s Original 3 page article

• Epistemology: Analyzing Knowledge #1 (The Gettier Problem) (YouTube)

🍒 The cherry on top

• 🌎 Native American Communities: What is the Native American English dialect? What is being done to pretect Native American languages at risk of extinction? And what are some Native American perspectives on death and near-death experiences? If any of these questions have piqued your interest, this podcast is worth a listen. Especially useful for anyone interested in Geography, Linguistics, Anthropology, Philosophy, or Religion.

• 🥵 Too Hot: All over the world, we are starting to see the devastating impacts of global warming on the world around us. But it is not just buildings and infrastructure that cannot keep up with this ever-changing world. This podcast explores the detrimental impact of a hotter world on living beings. Is there a limit to how much we can adapt to a new climate? A great listen if you are interested in Biology or Geography.

• ⚖️ Equality of what?: What is equality, and where does it originate from? Can it be manipulated to further disadvantage or exclude groups of people? In this fascinating Gresham College Lecture, find out the Ancient Greek perspective on many of these questions, and many more. Check it out if you are interested in Classics, Philosophy, or History.

👀 Keep your eyes peeled for…

• 7th October:

  • King’s College Admissions Teacher Drop-In Q+A

  • UEA Maths Lecture

• 8th October:

  • University of Sheffield Spanish Webinar

• 9th October:

  • UEA History Lecture

  • UEA Spanish Lecture

• 10th October:

  • Oxford History HAT Workshop

  • University of Sheffield Computer Science Webinar

  • UEA Film/Media Lecture

• 12th October:

  • Oxford History HAT Workshop

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