b. 1940
Ernest Sosa is a Cuban-American philosopher known for his foundational work in epistemology, particularly virtue epistemology. He developed the influential distinction between 'animal knowledge' and 'reflective knowledge' and has shaped contemporary debates on the nature of justification, skepticism, and the Gettier problem.
Pioneered virtue epistemology as a major contemporary approach
Developed the distinction between animal knowledge and reflective knowledge
Authored 'A Virtue Epistemology: Apt Belief and Reflective Knowledge' (2007)
Advanced the 'safety' condition as an alternative to sensitivity in knowledge analysis
Long-serving professor at Brown and Rutgers, mentoring generations of epistemologists