Description
Book SynopsisEpistemic Principles: A Primer of the Theory of Knowledge presents a compact account of the basic principles of the theory of knowledge. In doing this, Nicholas Rescher aims to fill the current gap in contemporary philosophical theory of knowledge with a comprehensive analysis of epistemological fundamentals. The book is not a mere inventory of such rules and principles, but rather interweaves them into a continuous exposition of basic issues. Written at a user-friendly and accessible level,
Epistemic Principles is an essential addition for both advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in epistemology.
Table of ContentsPreface – Introduction – Principles – Questions – Ideas – Principles of Truth and Acceptance – Presumption as a Pathway to Plausibility – Conjecture and the Move from Mere Plausibility and Presumption to Acceptance – Plausibility Conflicts and Paradox – From Conjecture to Belief and from Belief to Knowledge – The Epistemic Gap and Grades of Acceptance – Cognitive Thresholds – Imprecision – Intuitive Knowledge – Experience and Induction – Distributive vs. Collective Explanation – Cognitive Importance – Problems of Prediction – Error and Cognitive Risk – Problems of Skepticism – Trust – Common Sense – How Science Works – Scientific Realism and Its Problems – The Anthomorphic Contextuality of Science – Ignorance and Limits of Knowledge – On Systemic "Best Fit" Reasoning – Inference from the Best Systematization – The Cyclic Unity of Reason – Fact, Fiction, and Functional Surrogacy – A Pragmatic Coda – Bibliography – Name Index.
