Mighty Knowledge

Journal of Philosophy 118 (5):229-269 (2021)
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Abstract

We often claim to know what might be—or probably is—the case. Modal knowledge along these lines creates a puzzle for information-sensitive semantics for epistemic modals. This paper develops a solution. We start with the idea that knowledge requires safe belief: a belief amounts to knowledge only if it could not easily have been held falsely. We then develop an interpretation of the modal operator in safety that allows it to non-trivially embed information-sensitive contents. The resulting theory avoids various paradoxes that arise from other accounts of modal knowledge. It also delivers plausible predictions about modal Gettier cases.

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Author Profiles

Bob Beddor
National University of Singapore
Simon Goldstein
University of Hong Kong

Citations of this work

Skills as Knowledge.Carlotta Pavese & Beddor Bob - 2023 - Australasian Journal of Philosophy 101 (3):609-624.
Inquiry Beyond Knowledge.Bob Beddor - forthcoming - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research.
The ¬K¬K rule and the structurally unknowable.Yiwen Zhan - 2022 - Asian Journal of Philosophy 1 (1):1-11.
Partial Reliance.Moritz Schulz - 2021 - Canadian Journal of Philosophy 51 (6):436-451.

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