EPISTEMOLOGICAL SKEPTICISM, FOUNDATIONALISM AND DAVID ANNIS’ CONTEXTUALIST THEORY OF EPISTEMIC JUSTIFICATION.

Abstract

This paper reflects on the epistemological challenges posed by epistemological skepticism and the fallibility question in epistemological foundationalism, in response to the former. David Annis adds a context- sensitive condition to the justified true Belief conditions (JTB) in order to account for indefeasible knowledge. The question, among others is how to explain this and overcome the pitfalls of the Gettier problem, rise above relativism and subjectivism.The expository and method of critical reflection were used in the paper. Annis ‘contextualist theory of epistemic justification’ is innovative in that it evinces, among others, that belief is not true because it is justified or justified because it is true. It is the epistemic issue-related context that justifies someone’s belief and shows that he or she has met real expression of doubts as objection to the epistemic object being contrary.