Epistemic Justification (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780199243785)

Richard Swinburne offers an original treatment of a question at the heart of epistemology: what makes a belief rational, or justified in holding? He maps the rival accounts of philosophers on epistemic justification ("internalist" and "externalist"), arguing that they are really accounts of different concepts. He distinguishes between synchronic justification (justification at a time) and diachronic justification (synchronic justification resulting from adequate investigation)--both internalist and externalist. He also argues that most kinds of justification are worth having because they are indicative of truth; however, it is only justification of internalist kinds that can guide a believer's actions. Swinburne goes on to show the usefulness of the probability calculus in elucidating how empirical evidence makes beliefs probably true.

Author: Richard Swinburne
ISBN-10: 0199243786
ISBN-13: 9780199243785
Publisher: Clarendon Press
Language: English
Published: 10/25/2001
Pages: 270
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.16lbs
Size: 9.64h x 6.32w x 0.80d