In <strong>Knowledge and Belief</strong> Frederick Schmitt explores the nature and value ofknowledge and justified belief through an examination of the dispute ... » 

In Knowledge and Belief Frederick Schmitt explores the nature and value ofknowledge and justified belief through an examination of the dispute betweenepistemological internalism and externalism. Knowledge and justified belief arenaturally viewed as belief of a sort likely to be truean externalist view. Itis also intuitive however to view them as an internal matter justificationmust be accessible to the subject or constituted by the subjects epistemicperspective.The author argues against the view that internalism is the historicallydominant epistemology by examining closely the epistemological principles thatunderlie the treatment of skepticism in Plato the Academic and Pyrrhonianskeptics Descartes and Hume. Schmitt develops a sustained detailed argumentagainst many forms of internalism in favor of a reliabilistexternalistepistemology. His version of reliabilism though strictly externalistaccommodates and explains the most durable intuitions alleged to supportinternalism.Knowledge and Belief assumes no knowledge of epistemology or its history.Readers of philosophy will find this an excellent introduction to ancient andmodern epistemology this systematic study of the internalist and externalistdebate is the first of its kind. «