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Thinking about knowledge

This text explores the process of knowledge acquisition through sense impressions, interpretation, and memory, focusing on the example of knowing the moon is waning. It delves into the structure of mental contents and the criteria for knowledge. It also discusses the role of experience, information, and memory in shaping our beliefs about the world, including knowledge of future events.

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Thinking about knowledge

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  1. Thinking about knowledge

  2. Knowing that the moon is waning • sense impression(visual image of this shape in this location); • interpretation of this shape in terms of concepts available to you (it’s the moon, not e.g. a flying saucer...); • memory – of what you have seen, or been told, about the pattern of changes in the visible shape of the moon into which this fits – what has been happening and is going to happen when it has this appearance.

  3. Knowledge • A structure of mental contents associated together in your mind represents • a state of affairs out there in the world

  4. False “There’s a glass of beer.” True Belief Fact

  5. Knowledge : • a belief • which is true plus....?

  6. It is knowledge when: • You have a belief • …which is true • …and which you have good reason for holding to be true.

  7. How do we get our beliefs about the world? • Experience

  8. How do we get our beliefs about the world? • Experience • Information • Memory All these enable us to have knowledge about • What is happening • What has happened in the past But what about knowledge of what is going to happen....?

  9. Induction • Event A has regularly been followed by event B (in a sufficiently large sample of observed cases) • Therefore, event A will always be followed by event B (in relevantly similar cases) A = tower reaches n+x bricks high B = tower falls over

  10. David Hume (1711 - 1776)

  11. The sun will rise tomorrow • Why should we believe this? • The sun always has risen each day, and observed regularities in the past are a reliable guide to future events • Why should we believe that observed regularities in the past are a reliable guide to future events? • Well, they always have been in the past…

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