Journal of Socialomics

Abstract

Does Lewi?s Contextualism Effectively Address the Gettier Problem? A Critical Analysis of David Lewis's Epistemic Contextualism

Khanh Trinh*

What makes knowledge possible? Can we be sure that the things we believe are true? Traditional epistemologists see knowledge as Justified True Belief (JTB). However, this theory has a severe problem, which Edmund Gettier pointed out and challenged in his three-page articles about the traditional analysis of knowledge in 1963. Contextualists with regard to knowledge argue that the truth of the claim 'S knows that P' is contextually dependent is one of the solutions that many philosophers propose to solve the problems in Gettier's cases. Among them, David Lewis, in his paper Elusive Knowledge, proposes a solution to the Gettier problem with the rules of relevance. In this paper, Khanh Trinh will attempt to investigate whether Lewis’s contextualism can offer a satisfactory explanation of Gettier's scenarios. In the first part, Khanh Trinh will provide a concise overview of Gettier problems. Second, Khanh Trinh analyzes how Lewis’s version of contextualism solves the Gettier problem. Third, Khanh Trinh will offer a critique of Lewis's assertion that epistemic contextualism can provide a satisfactory explanation for Gettier problems. In conclusion, Khanh Trinh asserts that Lewis's contextualism fails to address the challenges posed by the Gettier dilemma adequately. Epistemic contextualism, as proposed by Lewis, offers a partial resolution to the Gettier problem.

Published Date: 2023-12-18; Received Date: 2023-11-17