7.2 Knowledge

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

  • Identify and explain the elements of Plato’s traditional account of knowledge.
  • Describe the Gettier problem.
  • Recall a Gettier case and explain how it is a counterexample to the traditional account of knowledge.
  • Identify and explain a way of thinking that attempts to solve the Gettier problem.

What does it mean to say that one knows something? Knowledge is an important concept in all areas of thought. Knowledge is the goal and therefore enjoys a special status. Investigating the nature of knowledge reveals the importance of other concepts that are key to epistemological theorizing—justification in particular.

Sculpted bust of a man’s face with thick, shaggy hair and a long curly beard.
Figure 7.4 This is a copy of a sculpture of Plato completed in approximately 370 BCE. Plato is credited with what is termed the traditional account of knowledge, which explains knowledge as justified true belief. (credit: "Plato Silanion Musei Capitolini MC1377" by Marie-Lan Nguyen/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5)
This lesson has no exercises.

The content of this course has been taken from the free Philosophy textbook by Openstax