The mid-term will cover the topics listed below. You will have to answer approximately 3 relatively short essay questions. (Possibly, you will get to choose from 4 or 5 questions.) Each question may have a few parts, each part requiring a paragraph or two in response. You will not be asked to recall from memory specific detailed arguments and examples. But you will be asked to describe various theories and ideas in clear terms. And you should be able to discuss objections and arguments when they are presented to you. Here’s a sample question:

 

William Clifford writes, “It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.” This seems very similar to the evidentialist thesis that a belief is justified if and only if it is supported by the believer’s evidence. (a) Explain carefully, using an example, how Clifford’s thesis (on one plausible interpretation) actually differs from evidentialism. (b) State and discuss one objection to Clifford’s thesis.

 

A question might present a brief statement of an objection to one of the views we have discussed. You might be asked to explain clearly and fully just what the objection is supposed to show and then to discuss how a defender of the theory might reply. You might be given a passage that expresses an argument along the lines of one that we discussed in class in be asked to explain and assess the passage. You might be given a formal statement of argument - one we’ve discussed or a new one on a topic we’ve discussed - and asked to explain and evaluate it. You will not be required to defend any general theoretical approach to the issues. That is, you will not get a question like: Which is correct, foundationalism or coherentism?

 

Here’s the stuff you should know:

 

●            The Standard View: Be able to say, using examples, what it is.

●            The Traditional Analysis of Knowledge: Be able to formulate it and explain it.

●            Clifford’s thesis: Be able to distinguish Clifford’s thesis - a thesis about what’s morally wrong - from a similar thesis about what is epistemically wrong (or irrational). Be prepared to state and discuss objections to Clifford’s thesis.

●            The Gettier Problem: Be able to state the general point of the Gettier examples and be able to formulate a specific example (either one of the original ones or, preferably, a new one that you’ve made up).

●            Objections to Gettier’s examples: We considered 3 ways in which one might argue that the examples fail to refute the TAK: raising the standards for knowledge, rejecting the justified falsehoods principle (JF), and rejecting the justified deduction principle (JD). Be prepared to discuss them.

●            Modifications of the TAK: We discussed three ways to modify the TAK in response to Gettier’s examples: The “No False Reasons” approach, the “Undefeated Justification” approach, and the “No Essential Falsehood” approach. Be prepared to discuss them.

●            Theories of Justification: We discussed cartesian foundationalism, coherentism, and modest foundationalism. For each theory, be sure that you can write a paragraph stating its main idea and be able to apply it to simple examples. You might be given a simple example of a justified (or unjustified) belief and asked how defenders of one or more theories would account for its status.

●            Evidentialism: Be sure you understand the objections discussed in the text.

●            Strong (Cartesian) Foundationalism: You might be given a brief statement of one of the objections and asked to explain it in more detail and to discuss it.

●            Coherentism: You might be given one of the simple versions of coherentism discussed in the text and class and be asked to explain the difficulties in those formulations. You might be asked to discuss what coherence is supposed to be. You might be asked to discuss the Isolation Objection or the Alternative Systems Objection.

●            Modest Foundationalism: Be sure you understand how this differs from cartesian foundationalism.