Nozick's Truth-Tracking Theory and Goldman's Barns [S01:E63]
Is a method of cognition correct if it allows one to see truths where there are none? Is a theory good if it is easy to abandon in an uncomfortable situation? According to Robert Nozick's theory of truth-tracking, these are all signs of an unsuccessful way of cognition, since it is sensitivity to truth and the ability to be committed to a chosen method that allow one to achieve knowledge. Nozick's idea has proven to be both influential for epistemology and confusing. In this podcast, we discuss the conceptual advantages of Nozick's idea and explore how it can be useful for cognition.
Support:
https://boosty.to/insolarance
Participants: Alexey Kardash, Ivan Kudryashov.
Insolarance:
Website: https://insolarance.com/
Telegram: https://t.me/insolarance
VK: https://vk.com/insolarance_cult
Alexey: https://t.me/here_was_dragons
Patreon: / insolarance
Timecodes:
0:00 Knowledge and Goldman's example of barn facades
3:25 Where do Gettier-style examples come from and why are they needed?
4:02 Unpacking the barn puzzle: causal theory of knowledge and the JTB
5:25 Should we count as knowledge what could easily be a false belief?
6:07 On the Interestingness of Justification
8:12 Unbridled Epistemic Caution, Kant, and the Stakes
10:50 Phenomenology and the Claim to Truth
14:12 Caution as a Cognitive Virtue
17:49 Externalism and the Influence of External Factors on Knowledge
22:04 Robert Nozick's Theory of Tracking the Truth
24:37 Nozick's Principle of Sensitivity of the Method of Knowledge
25:47 Nozick's Principle of Commitment
30:11 The Metaphor of the Cognitive Thermometer
33:06 Internalism, Externalism, and Chickens
34:40 Application and Critique of Nozick's Theory
38:17 Nozick's Cognitive Environment
43:01 Commitment and Sensitivity to Imperatives in Kant
43:30 The Principle of Deductive Closure and the Gettier-Style Counterargument to Nozick's theories