Inferring and Explaining

Contents Preface  vii Practical Epistemology vii Critical Tinking viii To My Student Readers viii To My Fellow Philosophy Instructors ix Two Further Debts ix Notes ix 1. valuInG truth  1 A Lofy Goal and a Practical Goal 1 Te Skills and Values You Already Have 2 Truth and the Contemporary Academic Culture 3 Truth and the Popular Culture: Te Need to Respect Diferences 4 Truth and the Popular Culture: “Fake News” and “Alternative Facts” 5 A Plea for Critical Tinking 7 Exercises 7 Quiz One 8 Notes 8 2. sKeptIcIsm  9 Descartes and the Arena of Reason 9 Confdence-Undermining Possibilities 10 Dreaming and the External World 11 Te Evil Computer Scientist 12 Can I Know Anything? 13 Te Quest for Certainty 14 Exercises 15 Quiz Two 15 Notes 15 3. the concept of KnowleDGe  17 Defnitions and Word Games 17 Te Myth of Defnition 18 Te Need for Conceptual Clarity 19 Knowledge and Belief 20 Te Search for the Truth 21 Epistemic Justifcation 21 What Does It Take to Be Justifed? 22 An Unsolved Problem 23 Exercises 24 Quiz Tree 24 Notes 24 4. arGuments  25 Te Importance of Arguments 25 What Is an Argument? 26 Logical Connection 28 iii