Epistemic Justification: Internalism vs. Externalism, Foundations vs. Virtues

by Laurence BonJour, Ernest Sosa

Ever since Plato it has been thought that one knows only if one's belief hits the mark of truth and does so with adequate justification. The issues debated by Laurence BonJour and Ernest Sosa concern mostly the nature and conditions of such epistemic justification, and its place in our understanding of human knowledge.

Presents central issues pertaining to internalism vs. externalism and foundationalism vs. virtue epistemology in the form of a philosophical debate.
Introduces students to fundamental questions within epistemology while engaging in contemporary debates.
Written by two of today's foremost epistemologists.
Includes an extensive bibliography.

Genres: Philosophy

249 pages, Paperback

First published July 4, 2003

About the author

Laurence BonJour is an American philosopher and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Washington.

His areas of specialty include epistemology, Kant, and British empiricism.

Reviews

[Ryan Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting presentation by two opposing philosophers on the idea of epistemic justification. They each present their views (internalist vs externalist broadly) then criticize the others briefly. BonJour can be complicated, overly verbose, and very persuasive, while Sosa is more easily comprehensible and persuasive in moments as well. Overall a tougher read, but interesting at points certainly.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

When does a statement or a proposition become justified and assumed to be true? This isn't as easy as it seems. The authors discuss several methods to find epistemic justification, and don't agree on which is most reliable. The book is quite esoteric and so it was difficult for an amateur like me to plow through.