PhD Doctor of Philosophy Epistemology and Theory of Knowledge 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the classical tripartite definition of knowledge according to Plato's Theaetetus?
- Justified true belief (Correct answer)
- True rational belief
- Empirical verified fact
- Logical necessary truth
Correct answer: Justified true belief
The classical definition holds that knowledge is justified true belief, though Gettier cases later challenged its sufficiency.
Question 2: Edmund Gettier's 1963 paper challenged the JTB account of knowledge by providing cases where justified true belief is:
- Insufficient for knowledge (Correct answer)
- Unnecessary for knowledge
- Equivalent to wisdom
- A form of skepticism
Correct answer: Insufficient for knowledge
Gettier cases show that a person can have a justified true belief yet still lack knowledge due to epistemic luck.
Question 3: Foundationalism in epistemology holds that all knowledge ultimately rests on:
- Basic or foundational beliefs (Correct answer)
- Coherent webs of belief
- Pragmatic utility
- Social consensus
Correct answer: Basic or foundational beliefs
Foundationalism posits a structure of basic non-inferred beliefs that support all other justified beliefs.
Question 4: The view that beliefs are justified by their coherence within an interconnected system is called:
- Coherentism (Correct answer)
- Foundationalism
- Reliabilism
- Contextualism
Correct answer: Coherentism
Coherentism, associated with thinkers like BonJour, judges justification by how well beliefs fit together in a web.
Question 5: Alvin Goldman's reliabilist epistemology defines justified belief as one produced by:
- A reliable cognitive process (Correct answer)
- Self-evident intuition
- Logical deduction alone
- Cultural agreement
Correct answer: A reliable cognitive process
Reliabilism holds that a belief is justified if it is produced by a cognitive process that reliably yields true beliefs.
Question 6: Pyrrhonian skepticism, associated with Sextus Empiricus, recommends achieving tranquility through:
- Suspension of judgment (epoché) (Correct answer)
- Adopting Stoic certainties
- Embracing empiricism
- Relying on divine revelation
Correct answer: Suspension of judgment (epoché)
Pyrrhonists advocate epoché — withholding assent on all non-evident matters — as a path to ataraxia (mental peace).
PhD Doctor of Philosophy Epistemology and Theory of Knowledge 1
What is the classical tripartite definition of knowledge according to Plato's Theaetetus?