Epistemology

Description

Epistemology has long mesmerized its practitioners with numerous puzzles. What can we know, and how can we know it? In Epistemology: A Contemporary Introduction, Alvin Goldman, one of the most noted contemporary epistemologists, and Matthew McGrath, known for his work on a wide range of topics in the field, have joined forces to delve into these puzzles.

About the Author(s)

Alvin I. Goldman, Board of Governors Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Science, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and Matthew McGrath, Professor of Philosophy, University of Missouri-Columbia

Alvin I. Goldman is Board of Governors Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Science at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. A leading epistemologist for several decades, his books include Reliabilism and Contemporary Epistemology (2012) and Pathways to Knowledge (2002). Matthew McGrath is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He has published on a range of topics in epistemology and is best known for work on pragmatic encroachment, including Knowledge in an Uncertain World (2009).

Table of Contents

Epistemology: A Contemporary Introduction, Alvin I. Goldman and Matthew McGrath
PART I: JUSTIFICATION AND KNOWLEDGE: THE CORE ISSUES
1:The Structure of Justification
2:Two Debates About Justification: Evidentialism vs. Reliabilism and Internalism vs. Externalism
3:Defining Knowledge
4:Skepticism About Knowledge
PART II: JUSTIFICATION AND KNOWLEDGE: SPECIAL TOPICS
5:Contextualism, Pragmatic Encroachment, and the Knowledge Norm of Assertion
6:Perceptual Justification
PART III: NATURALISTIC EPISTEMOLOGY
7:Epistemology, Cognitive Science, and Experimental Philosophy
8:Philosophy's Intuitional Methodology and the Role of Science
PART IV: SOCIAL EPISTEMOLOGY
9:Testimony and Peer Disagreement
10:Collective and Institutional Epistemology
PART V: PROBABILISTIC EPISTEMOLOGY
11:Probabilistic Epistemology
Works Cited
Index

Reviews

"Epistemology is exceptionally good. The authors are two of the best epistemologists I know. Goldman has probably shaped the field more than any other epistemologist in the past few decades, and McGrath's work is always clear, interesting, original, and important." - Richard Fumerton, University of Iowa

"Epistemology offers students an excellent general introduction to epistemology. It gives a broad and deep overview of the major debates in contemporary epistemology, and it is more up to date than many of its competitors." - David James Barnett, Union College

"Epistemology provides excellent coverage of the state of the art. Anyone studying epistemology will find it much more than an introduction or a handy resource, but a starting point for continued discussion and future research." - Peter Graham, University of California, Riverside

"The authors' writing style is perfect for the level at which this text will be taught. Even the most technical chapter on probabilistic epistemology was written at an undergraduate-friendly level. The selection of topics makes this an engaging text." - James R. Beebe, University of Buffalo

"Epistemology is probably the best introductory text on contemporary epistemology that one can find." - Patrick Rysiew, University of Victoria

"This is a highly accessible and well-written introduction to contemporary epistemology, by two prominent contributors to several of the topics covered in the book. This book deserves to end up on a great many epistemology syllabi." - Kristoffer Ahlstrom-Vij, University of Kent