Key questions:  What is Reliabilism?  Does Reliabilism describe knowledge well? What are the strengths and weaknesses of Reliabilism?  How well does Reliabilism cope with Gettier and Fake Barn Cases?

What is Reliabilism? (2 marks) Knowledge is a true belief that is caused by a reliable process.

Turn to the person next to you and come up with as many strengths and weaknesses of Reliabilism as you can. Be prepared to share your answers with the rest of the group.

 Imagine that one evening you watch a nature programme and you hear David Attenborough say that the killer whale is the fastest swimming sea mammal. As a matter of fact this belief is true: killer whales are indeed the fastest of all sea mammals. Moreover, it is justified since David Attenborough is a reliable source of information about wildlife. So here is a clear-cut case of a justified, true belief. However, unremarked by you, the evening in question was that of the first of April, and the nature of programme was a spoof littered with amusing falsehoods about the natural world. Under Reliabilism, does the individual have knowledge? How could you use the terms ‘internalist’ and ‘externalist’ to highlight the differences between the JTB account and the Reliabilist account?

 Imagine that you ride into town at around noon and look up at the clock tower to check the time. The clock says 12 o’clock and so you come to believe that it is 12 o’clock. In fact it is 12 o’clock. Checking a clock is an excellent justification for your belief and so we have here an example of justified, true belief. However, unbeknown to you, the clock has in fact stopped. And the fact that it was telling the correct time at precisely the moment when you chanced to look up at it is a remarkable coincidence. What problems does this example pose for Reliabilism? So, in general, how does Reliabilism cope with Standard Gettier cases?

 What about Taz seeing Boris Johnson on Boris Johnson look-a-like day and forming the belief that he has just seen Boris Johnson riding a pink bike? Does Taz have knowledge according to Reliabilism?

Key questions: 1) What counts as knowledge according to Virtue Epistemology? 2) How does Sosa develop the Virtue Epistemology definition of knowledge? 3) How well does Virtue Epistemology deal with Gettier and Fake Barn Cases?

DEFINITION: Virtue epistemology claims that you know that p if: 1. P is true; 2. You believe that p; 3. Your true belief is a result of you exercising your intellectual virtues.

Read pp of the Cardinal Textbook (stopping at the Triple A rating subheading). 1) What is an intellectual virtue? 2) List a number of potential intellectual virtues and intellectual vices. 3) How does Virtue Epistemology define knowledge? 4) Complete the activity on p. 94 of the text book... Be prepared to share your answers. 5) Give an example of how the Virtue Epistemology account does not fare well with standard Gettier cases.

 Read pp  On your worksheet, explain what Sosa means by the terms ‘Accuracy’, ‘Adroitness’ and ‘Aptness’ in the analogy of the Archer, completing the diagram.  On your worksheet, define: (a) what an accurate belief is, (b) what an adroit belief is, (c) what an apt belief is, and (d) explain what knowledge is for Sosa.

 Task: complete the worksheet.

 Complete the remaining questions from class.  On your worksheet, explain what Sosa means by the terms ‘Accuracy’, ‘Adroitness’ and ‘Aptness’ in the analogy of the Archer, completing the diagram.  On your worksheet, define: (a) what an accurate belief is, (b) what an adroit belief is, (c) what an apt belief is, and (d) explain what knowledge is for Sosa.  Complete the activity worksheet.  Read pp and answer: (i) How does Virtue epistemology fare with Gettier counter examples? (ii) How does Virtue Epistemology fare with Fake Barn cases?