The Causal Strategy

Causal Concepts play an explicit and ineliminable role in differentiating knowledge states from other states

Causal Theory

Traditional Causal Theory

Justified True Belief and the Gettier Counterexamples

Goldman's 1967 Causal Analysis

S knows that p if and only if the fact that p is causally connected in an appropriate way with S's believing p. "Appropriate," knowledge producing processes include the following:

(1) perception

(2) memory

(3) a causal chain, exemplifying either pattern 1 or 2,

which is correctly reconstructed by inferences, each of

which is warranted (background propositions help warrant

an inference only if they are true)

(4) combinations of (1), (2), and (3) (1967, pp.369-70)

"...that I have not closed the list of 'appropriate' causal processes." (1967, pp.370-1)

Implicit Information

Pattern 1

The fact (that P) causes the evidence from which the belief (that P) is generated by deduction or induction.

Pattern 2

The fact (that P) and the evidence from which the belief (that P) is generated (by deduction or induction) have a common cause.

An inference is warranted iff "...the propositions on which he bases his belief of p must genuinely confirm p very highly, whether deductively or inductively." (Goldman 1967, p.363)

"...must reconstruct all of the important links." (1967, p.363)

Not a Definition

Goldman describes his project as "...another analysis (or sketch of an analysis) of 'S knows that p,'...." (1967, p.357) He also refers to his analysis as a theory of knowledge. These descriptions are not equivalent to a definition in Goldman's mind.

Common Usage

Problems With Goldman's Analysis: Necessary Conditions

Edges From Color and Light Intensity Changes

Stair Positions From Previous Step Positions

Locate One's Car by Accidental Properties

In each of the above cases one comes to have a belief that seems to count as knowledge, yet the belief is not causally connected to the relevant object having the relevant property.

I call such cases "reliable correlation cases."

Problems With Goldman's Analysis: Sufficient Conditions

The Red Room

The Office Phone

The Marijuana Plant

The C note

I call the "the Discrimination Cases"

Ad Hoc Additions to Goldman's Theory

The background theory for my critique is that of Imre Lakatos as presented in The Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes (1978).

Important Links Based Upon True Beliefs

-Which links?

-Do we?

"if x is logically related to y and if y is the cause of z, then x is the cause of z." (1967, p.368)

-Useless?

-Causal ( underdetermination of theory by data)

-Identity The Cause of Pendulum Law Belief?