causal-epistemology
An approach that attempts to justify knowledge claims by coordinating the causal processes that produce both the fact and the belief about the fact.
1 chapter across 1 book
Epistemology: An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge (2003)Nicholas Rescher
Chapter 4 examines the epistemic justification of objective knowledge claims from a functionalistic and naturalistic perspective, emphasizing the persistent gap between subjective experience and objective fact. It critiques the causal epistemology approach for its reliance on an assumed truth to justify beliefs and proposes a distinction between weak and strong epistemic justification, arguing that experience alone can only provide weak justification for objective claims. The chapter suggests that pragmatic and evolutionary considerations, rather than purely causal ones, are necessary for validating knowledge claims.