- Foundationalism
Foundationalism is any theory in
epistemology (typically, theories of justification, but also ofknowledge ) that holds that beliefs are justified (known, etc.) based on what are called "basic belief s" (also commonly called foundational beliefs). Basic beliefs are beliefs that give justificatory support to other beliefs, and more derivative beliefs are based on those more basic beliefs. The basic beliefs are said to be self-justifying or self-evident, that is, they enjoy a non-inferential warrant (or justification), i.e., they are not justified "by other beliefs." Typically and historically, foundationalists have held either that basic beliefs are justified bymental event s or states, such as experiences, that do not constitute beliefs (these are callednondoxastic mental states), or that they simply are not the type of thing that can be (or needs to be) justified.Hence, generally, a foundationalist might offer the following
theory of justification ::A belief is "epistemically justified" if and only if (1) it is justified by a basic belief or beliefs, or (2) it is justified by a chain of beliefs that is supported by a basic belief or beliefs, and on which all the others are ultimately based.
A basic belief, on the other hand, does not require justification because it is a different kind of belief than a non-foundational one.
Historical foundationalism: rationalism vs. empiricism
Historically, two varieties of foundationalist theories were
rationalism andempiricism (orBritish Empiricism ). Strictly speaking, neither empiricism nor rationalism is necessarily committed to foundationalism (it is possible to be an empiricist coherentist, for example, and that was a common epistemological position in 20th century philosophy).Rationalism is the general name for epistemological theories that maintain that reason is the source and criterion of knowledge. Rationalists generally hold that so-called truths of reason are the (most important) epistemologically basic propositions. The historical, continental
rationalism expounded byRené Descartes is often regarded as antithetical to empiricism, while some contemporary rationalists assert that reason is strongest when it is supported by or consistent with empirical evidence and hence relies heavily on empiricalscience in analyzing justifications for belief. Descartes famously held that some of these truths are known innately and therefore constitute basic innate knowledge, a view not always held in contemporary rationalism.Empiricism is the general name for epistemological theories that maintain that sensation reports are the source and criterion of knowledge. Classical empiricists generally held that such reports are indubitable and incorrigible and therefore worthy of serving as epistemologically basic propositions.
Alternatives to foundationalism
Alternatives to foundationalism, usually called
Anti-foundationalism , includecoherentism ,foundherentism ,reformed epistemology . Many forms ofreliabilism are foundationalist, but reliabilist theories need not be foundationalist. [sep entry|justep-foundational|Foundational Theories of Epistemic Justification] Also seePragmatism .References
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См. также в других словарях:
foundationalism — The epistemological theory that noetic (belief) structures include two types of justified belief: (1) properly basic beliefs, which confer epistemic justification on other beliefs, but do not require it themselves, and (2) properly non basic… … Christian Philosophy
foundationalism — The view in epistemology that knowledge must be regarded as a structure raised upon secure, certain foundations. These are found in some combination of experience and reason, with different schools ( empiricism, rationalism ) emphasizing the role … Philosophy dictionary
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foundationalism — noun The doctrine that beliefs derive justification from certain basic beliefs See Also: foundationalist … Wiktionary
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foundationalism — / fundamentalist Фундаментализм1,2 … Вестминстерский словарь теологических терминов
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foundation — foundationalism … Philosophy dictionary
Foundationalist — foundationalism … Philosophy dictionary
foundationalist — foundationalism … Philosophy dictionary