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    If the sensitivity requirement were accepted as a conditi... — Carmelics
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    Home/Skepticism
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    If the sensitivity requirement were accepted as a condition on knowledge, the closure principle would fail, undermining the first premise of the CP-style argument for Cartesian Skepticism

    Skepticism
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    2 reasons for
    1 reason against

    Reasons For

    2 perspectives
    Reason for 1 of 2
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    • 1.Nozick's sensitivity condition (S wouldn't believe p if p were false) is independently motivated by tracking theories of knowledge.
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    • 2.Tracking theories explain lottery cases and perceptual knowledge without invoking closure, giving them epistemic credentials beyond anti-skeptical utility.
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    • 3.A condition with independent theoretical support can legitimately constrain which logical principles govern knowledge, including closure.
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    Reason for 2 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Dretske's relevant alternatives framework shows that knowing p requires ruling out only alternatives relevant to p's context, not all logically possible alternatives.
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    • 2.If knowledge is context-sensitive in Dretske's sense, then knowing 'I have hands' does not transmit via closure to knowing 'I am not a BIV', since BIV scenarios are irrelevant alternatives in ordinary contexts.
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    • 3.The failure of closure under Dretske's framework is thus not an ad hoc rescue but a principled consequence of an independently developed epistemological theory.
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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.The CP-style argument for Cartesian Skepticism relies on the closure principle as a first premise
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    • 2.Accepting the sensitivity requirement entails that closure fails
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    • 3.If closure fails, the basis for the first premise of the CP-style skeptical argument is forfeited
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    Topics

    Skepticism

    Key Terms

    CP-style argument(epistemology)
    An argument following the pattern of 'closure principle' arguments—basically, an argument that uses the closure principle as its main logical tool.
    Cartesian Skepticism(epistemology and history of philosophy)
    A famous doubt, associated with philosopher René Descartes, that questions whether we can really know anything about the world since we might be dreaming or deceived.
    Closure principle(Epistemology, Cartesian skepticism)
    An epistemic principle stating that if S knows (or is justified in believing) P, and P entails Q, then S knows (or is justified in believing) Q; used as the first premise in CP-style skeptical arguments
    Premise
    A premise is a statement or fact that you assume to be true as a starting point for reasoning or making an argument. Think of it as the foundation or building block you use to reach a conclusion—for example, "All dogs are animals" and "My pet is a dog" are premises that lead to the conclusion "My pet is an animal." Premises are essentially the evidence or claims you offer before drawing a final conclusion.
    Sensitivity requirement(Nozick's tracking account of knowledge)
    A condition on knowledge proposed by Nozick: S knows x only if, were x false, S would not believe x
    knowledge(Distinguished from mere true belief, which may be the product of indoctrination and need not exercise deliberative capacities.)
    Justified true belief — true belief that has been arrived at through the exercise of deliberative capacities, including comparison of and deliberation among alternatives.

    Related

    A condition with independent theoretical support can legitimately constrain whic...Accepting the sensitivity requirement entails that closure failsDretske's relevant alternatives framework shows that knowing p requires ruling o...If closure fails, the basis for the first premise of the CP-style skeptical argu...
    +5 moreShow less
    If knowledge is context-sensitive in Dretske's sense, then knowing 'I have hands...Nozick's sensitivity condition (S wouldn't believe p if p were false) is indepen...

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: skepticism
    View source passageHide passage
    CP2 claims that we are not justified in denying the skeptical hypothesis—in other words, that we are not justified in believing that we are not being deceived. What arguments can be given for CP2? It is tempting to suggest something like this: The skeptical scenarios are developed in such a way that it is assumed that we could not tell that we were being deceived. For example, we are asked to consider that there is an Evil Genius “so powerful” that it could (1) make me believe that there were ha
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    The CP-style argument for Cartesian Skepticism relies on the closure principle a...
    The failure of closure under Dretske's framework is thus not an ad hoc rescue bu...
    Tracking theories explain lottery cases and perceptual knowledge without invokin...

    Similar

    Accepting the sensitivity requirement entails that closure fails88%This sensitivity requirement is arguably too strong as a general condi...85%The closure principle's requirement to rule out all contrary hypothese...82%If closure fails, the basis for the first premise of the CP-style skep...78%
    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (2 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit