Causal theory of knowledge

A Causal Theory of Knowing is a philosophical essay written by Alvin Goldman in 1967, published in The Journal of Philosophy. It is based on existing theories of knowledge in the realm of epistemology, the study of philosophy through the scope of knowledge. The essay attempts to explain the sensation of knowledge by connecting facts, beliefs and knowledge through underlying and connective series called causal chains.

A causal chain is repeatedly described as a sequence of events for which one event in a chain causes the next. According to Goldman, these chains can only exist with the presence of an accepted fact, a belief of the fact, and a cause for the subject to believe the fact. The essay also explores the ideas of perception and memory through the use of the causal chains and the concept of knowledge.

The essay is regarded as an improvement and rebuttal of Edmund Gettier's “Is Justified True Belief Knowledge,” which is one of many attempts to explain the necessary conditions for knowledge to develop. Gettier insists that knowledge is formed through a proposition for which someone has evidence that is true, and a belief that is justified through the fact. However, Goldman implements the causal connection to reiterate his own theory of knowledge. Knowledge exists, says Goldman, if and only if the belief is justified by a reaction to the accepted fact.

Goldman’s theory later counters that of Michael Clark, stating that his own theory including figures and diagrams is more appropriate than Clark’s. A Causal Theory of Knowing uses figures which make explicit references to causal beliefs. Clark’s model does not utilize these arrows, and Goldman states that the lack of these arrows deems Clark’s model deficient.

Alvin Goldman, currently a professor of philosophy at Rutgers University, wrote A Causal Theory of Knowing when he was in his late twenties. Goldman received his Ph.D. from Princeton University, and has taught at numerous universities

Goldman’s research deals mainly with epistemology and other cognitive sciences. A Causal Theory of Knowing was Goldman’s first published paper explaining his own views of epistemology. Currently, Goldman has written more than ten essays focusing on knowledge and cognitive science.

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