propositional-knowledge

Chapter 18 of Nicholas Rescher's 'Epistemology: An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge' focuses on cognitive realism and the nature of knowledge, particularly propositional knowledge. It emphasizes the importance of understanding knowledge as a condition rather than an activity, highlights the centrality of questions in epistemology, and outlines the key features of knowledge including truth commitment, grounding, and reflexivity. The chapter also distinguishes between different types of knowledge and stresses the pragmatic and conceptual foundations of realism in knowledge discourse.

Chapter 1 critically examines the traditional definition of knowledge as true justified belief, highlighting the inadequacies through Gettier-style counterexamples that show true and justified belief does not necessarily constitute knowledge. It emphasizes the necessity of appropriate justification, where the believer's grounds must be both subjectively and objectively adequate, and discusses distinctions in propositional knowledge and the practical use conditions of knowledge claims in everyday discourse.