Knowledge Tree
externalist
Also known as: externalist theory, externalism, Externalism, Externalists, externalist, externalist theories
Facts (38)
Sources
Epistemology | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy iep.utm.edu 7 facts
claimExternalism posits that considering factors other than an individual's existing beliefs is necessary to avoid the isolation objection and to ensure that knowledge does not include luck.
claimThere are two primary approaches to construing justification: in terms of the believer’s mind (internalism) or in terms of the world (externalism).
claimExternalism posits that factors external to a believer's mind determine whether that believer is justified.
claimReliabilism, a prominent version of externalism, suggests that the justification of a belief depends on the source of that belief, such as sense experience, reason, testimony, or memory.
claimExternalism is the epistemological view that factors external to a believer's mind determine whether that believer is justified.
accountKeith Lehrer illustrates a challenge to externalism using the example of Mr. Truetemp, who has a device called a 'tempucomp' implanted in his brain that provides accurate temperature readings, causing him to form spontaneous true beliefs about the temperature without knowing the source of those beliefs.
claimReliabilism is the most prominent version of externalism and suggests considering the source of a belief to determine justification.
Epistemology - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy plato.stanford.edu Dec 14, 2005 6 facts
claimReliabilism is classified as an externalist theory because it allows for two mentally identical subjects to differ in the justificational status of their beliefs if the cognitive faculties producing those beliefs differ in reliability.
claimReliabilism, as an externalist theory, posits that a radically deceived subject is misled about both the actual state of affairs and the justification of their beliefs.
perspectiveExternalists argue that testimony is a valid source of knowledge if and only if the information comes from a reliable source.
claimTo avoid circularity when justifying perception as a source of knowledge, experiential foundationalists must choose between externalism or an appeal to brute necessity.
claimTo answer the 'J-question' without relying on the circularity found in dependence coherentism, one must choose between externalism or an appeal to brute necessity.
claimExperiential foundationalists who prefer Experiential Foundationalism (EB) can endorse externalism to argue that perceptual experiences are a source of justification if, and only if, those experiences are of types that are reliably associated with true resulting beliefs.
Epistemology - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 5 facts
claimExternalism asserts that at least some factors relevant to knowledge are external to the individual.
claimExternalism is motivated by the view that justification makes it more likely that a belief is true, with some factors contributing to this likelihood existing outside the believer's cognitive perspective.
claimReliabilism is an externalist theory asserting that a reliable connection between belief and truth is required for justification.
claimRobert A. Wilson authored the article 'Externalism and Internalism in the Philosophy of Mind' for Oxford Bibliographies in 2023.
claimInternalism and externalism debate whether justification is determined solely by mental states or also by external circumstances.
Epistemic Justification – Introduction to Philosophy: Epistemology press.rebus.community 4 facts
claimEpistemologists use the terms 'internalist' and 'externalist' to distinguish whether a theory requires a person to cognitively access or be aware of the factors that make their belief justified; theories requiring such access are 'internalist,' while those that do not are 'externalist.'
perspectiveInternalists argue that the externalist understanding of justification's truth-conduciveness is too strong, because a belief could be objectively likely to be true even if a person has no good reason to believe the relevant proposition, which internalists consider epistemically irrational.
claimUnder the theory of proper functionalism, mental duplicates can differ in their level of epistemic justification, which is a feature of externalism.
claimExternalism is the view that epistemic justification is contingent on features of a person’s mind plus features external to a person’s mind.
Epistemology (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy/Fall 2019 Edition) plato.stanford.edu Dec 14, 2005 3 facts
claimThe dispute between internalism and externalism regarding justification is a dispute about the nature of J-factors.
claimEvidentialism is an internalist theory of justification, whereas reliabilism is an externalist theory of justification.
claimEvidentialism is typically associated with internalism, while reliabilism is typically associated with externalism.
What Is Epistemology? Pt. 3: The Nature of Justification and Belief philosimplicity.com Oct 23, 2017 3 facts
claimInternalism and externalism in epistemology focus on the sources of justification and belief.
claimExternalism is a theory of justification which suggests that conditions outside of a person's mind must be met for a belief to be justified, such as the belief being supported by reliable processes or sources in the world.
claimEpistemological positions are not mutually exclusive; for example, an individual can be an externalist regarding knowledge while being an internalist regarding justification, or simultaneously a fallibilist and a foundationalist.
Naturalistic Epistemology | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy iep.utm.edu 3 facts
perspectiveAlvin Goldman supports externalism regarding the justification of beliefs.
claimAlvin Goldman is a prominent proponent of externalism within the field of naturalistic epistemology.
claimNaturalistic epistemology is not inherently committed to either internalism or externalism, though many naturalistic epistemologists are externalists who endorse reliabilist theories of justification.
Epistemological Problems of Testimony plato.stanford.edu Apr 1, 2021 2 facts
Virtue epistemology - Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy rep.routledge.com 1 fact
perspectiveProponents of virtue epistemology claim that it offers advantages such as bypassing disputes between foundationalists and coherentists regarding cognitive structure, avoiding skeptical worries, avoiding the impasse between internalism and externalism, and broadening the range of epistemological inquiry to include values like understanding and wisdom.
Consciousness (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy/Fall 2025 ... plato.stanford.edu Jun 18, 2004 1 fact
claimInternalist theories of mental content, such as those proposed by John Searle (1992), argue that conscious mental states have meanings intrinsically, whereas externalist theories, such as those by Dretske (1995), ground meaning in causal, counterfactual, or informational relations between intentional states and their objects.
Virtue Epistemology | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy iep.utm.edu 1 fact
claimErnest Sosa and John Greco have argued against internalism and advocated for externalism as the primary method to resolve skepticism.
Complexity and the Evolution of Consciousness | Biological Theory link.springer.com Sep 14, 2022 1 fact
claimGodfrey-Smith's (1996a) environmental complexity thesis is an externalist theory, meaning it explains organismal features through properties external to the organism rather than internal ones.
Virtue epistemology - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 1 fact
claimErnest Sosa's account of virtue epistemology can circumvent Cartesian skepticism by requiring the interaction of externalism and internalism.