1938 – 2024
Alvin Goldman (1938-2024) was an American philosopher known for foundational work in epistemology and philosophy of mind. He developed reliabilism as a theory of justified belief and pioneered social epistemology as a distinct subfield.
Developed reliabilism as a theory of epistemic justification
Founded social epistemology as a systematic field of inquiry
Advanced the causal theory of knowing
Contributed to simulation theory in philosophy of mind
Authored 'Epistemology and Cognition' (1986) and 'Knowledge in a Social World' (1999)