Directions: This assignment is due Wednesday, November 1, 2006. As usual, the goal is to write a page or two on any of the questions below. Read the material from the syllabus about modest foundationalism (Section III-D).

 

1) Is the reply to objection 1 to modest foundationalism (pp. 75-7) any good? (Note: the objection to modest foundationalism discussed here is presented by BonJour on pp. 387-8 of the anthology.)

 

2) In his contribution to the anthology (pp. 402-16), William Alston defends modest foundationalism from a number of objections. In section I of this essay, Alston discusses the following concepts: “independence from other claims”, “incorrigibility” and “infallibility.” Explain as clearly as you can what he means by these terms and make clear how they differ from one another. What connections does Alston think there are between them? Does he think that foundationalists must hold that basic or foundational beliefs must have one or another of these properties? (Explaining Alston’s views clearly and explicitly will suffice. You need not object to what he says.)

 

3) Explain and evaluate Alston’s response to Lehrer’s objection to foundationalism.