CHAPTER EIGHT

SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE AND JUSTIFICATION

Abstract

Beliefs arise in people for a wide variety of causes. Among them are psychological factors such as desires, emotional needs, prejudice, and biases of various kinds. Obviously, when beliefs originate in sources like these, they do not qualify as knowledge even if true. For true beliefs to count as knowledge, it is necessary that they originate in sources we have good reason to consider reliable. These are perception, introspection, memory, reason, and testimony. Let us briefly consider each of these.