Description
Book SynopsisAgainst the traditional view, Alvin Goldman argues that logic, probability theory, and linguistic analysis cannot by themselves delineate principles of rationality or justified belief. The mind's operations must be taken into account.
Trade ReviewThe scope of the book is enormous… Well-written and remarkably clear in exposition, Goldman’s book gives an overview of the state of the art in both epistemology and cognitive science at the same time that it presents an important, original position. * Choice *
Alvin Goldman’s book,
Epistemology and Cognition, is a major work. It defines the subject of epistemology in a new and highly plausible way which makes the results of research in psychology and artificial intelligence extremely relevant to philosophical epistemology. In addition it offers a wealth of descriptions of this research and examples of ways in which it is relevant. This is a book that all philosophers should read. -- Gilbert Harman
Goldman is one of our leading epistemologists, known for his subtle and eloquent defense of the past decade’s reigning epistemology, reliabilism. He is the source of many of the rich concepts and distinctions that have set the terms of current discussion and furnished epistemology with its current high degree of rigor and sophistication.
Epistemology and Cognition is his masterwork, expounding all his fundamental ideas. -- William G. Lycan
Very impressive. I myself have been awaiting Alvin Goldman’s book for some time, and I think many others have been too. It’s even more interesting than I had anticipated. Although many philosophers nowadays pay lip service to the idea that there is an overlap between psychology and philosophy, this book is unique both in its detailed attempt to spell out the theoretical framework behind this idea and in the depth and breadth of its account of relevant work in cognitive science. I believe it will have significant impact. -- Gilbert Harman
Table of ContentsIntroduction Part I: Theoretical Foundations 1. The Elements of Epistemology 2. Skepticism 3. Knowledge 4. Justification: A Rule Framework 5. Justification and Reliability 6. Problem Solving, Power, and Speed 7. Truth and Realism 8. The Problem of Content Part II: Assessing Our Cognitive Resources 9. Perception 10. Memory 11. Constraints on Representation 12. Internal Codes 13. Deductive Reasoning 14. Probability judgments 15. Acceptance and Uncertainty 16. Belief Updating 17. Production Systems and Second-Order Processes Conclusion: Primary Epistemics and Cognitive Science Notes Illustration Credits Author Index Subject Index
