The Reliability of the Cognitive Mechanism: A Mechanist Account of Empirical Justification

Description

Originally published in 1990. Examining epistemic justification, truth and logic, this book works towards a holistic theory of knowledge. It discusses evidence, belief, reliability and many philosophical theories surrounding the nature of true knowledge. A thorough Preface updates the main work from when it was written in 1976 to include theories ascendant in the ‘80s. Cover Half Title Title Copyright Original Title Original Copyright Preface Preface References Acknowledgements Contents CHAPTER I. Introduction justification and Justification (1) Some Terminological Difficulties: Justification for Xing a Y Justification and Inference Actual and Potential Inferences A Clash of Paradigms Outline of the Strategy Summary CHAPTER II. The Inferentialist Paradigm: The Formal Analysis Summary CHAPTER III. Foundationalism Inductive Inference Inductive Probability Probabilistic Analyses of Acceptance The (Partial) Analysis of Inductive Inference by Deductive Relations Inferential Priority The Revisability of Observation Statements Theoretical Seeing The Theoretical Commitments of Observation Statements (1) Conventionalism Equal Priority The Theoretical Commitments of Observation Statements (2) Probabilistic Premises Observation Statements as Statements Describing Experience A New Foundationalist Alternative Conclusion Summary CHAPTER IV. Our Cognitive Mechanism Empirical Beliefs: Beliefs Based on Observation Inferences and "Inferences" "Inferential" Support Summary CHAPTER V. Infallibility and Reliability Infallibility Reliability (1) Statistical Probability Reliability (2) Reference Predicates That Say Too Little Reference Predicates That Say Too Much Reliability, Probability, and Relative Frequencies The Random Confidence Generator The Reliability of One's Own Faculties Non-Statistical Interpretations of Probability: The Mystery of the Missing Reference Predicate Confidence Assignments That Are Unreliably High (or Low) Decisiveness Summary CHAPTER VI. More About Our Cognitive Mechanism Probabilistic "Inferences" The "Self-Correcting" Feature of Our Cognitive Mechanism Summary CHAPTER VII. justification justification By Cause justified Assignments of Confidence and justified Beliefs The Causal Transmission of justification and of unjustification justification and "Self-Correction" Normative Theories of Justification Armchair Theories of Justification justification and Justification (2) Summary CHAPTER VIII. Justification Justificationi and Justificationr Empirical Justification The Comparison with Pragmatic Theories of Justification The Comparison with Foundationalism The Justificatory Role of Observation The Justifiedr Behaviorist The Comparison with Coherence Theories Descriptive Coherence Theories Normative Coherence Theories Theories With Classical Logic Built Into Them Conclusion The Requirement of Consistency Justificationr Has Nothing Built Into It Summary CHAPTER IX. Justification and Skepticism: The Connection With Truth Justification and Truth The Threat of Skepticism The General Skeptical Argument Special Skeptical Arguments Being Justified and Giving One's Justification Conclusion Summary CHAPTER X. Conclusion