Acquisition Quote by Hilary Kornblith
“Ethologists thus have an interest in looking at these capacities for the reliable acquisition of belief, and it is not surprising that they have a name for the true beliefs which are the typical product of these reliable capacities. They call them items of knowledge. So I argue that talk of knowledge may thereby be seen to be embedded within a successful empirical theory.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Philosophy of Cognitive Science, 2020
Knowledge is defined as true belief formed by reliable cognitive processes.
In simple terms: True belief from reliable processes is knowledge.
Key Takeaway
Recognize reliable belief formation as knowledge.
Themes
epistemology
reliability
cognition
Mood
analytical
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
academic
When to use this quote
- academic research
- education
- critical thinking
Key Concepts
knowledge
justified true belief
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we test reliability of belief formation?
- What counts as a reliable capacity?
A Different Perspective
Reliability may be hard to verify in practice.
![“No theory is too false, no fable too absurd, no superstition too degrading for acceptance when it has become embedded in common belief. Men will submit themselves to torture and to death, mothers will immolate [burn] their children at the bidding of beliefs they thus accept.” quote by Henry George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/68e/henry-george-8103_absurd_no-theory-is-too-false-no-fable-too-absu_70212.jpg)
![“No one suffers so much as he [the genius] with the people, and, therefore, for the people, with whom he lives. For, in a certain sense, it is certainly only "by suffering" that a man knows. If compassion is not itself clear, abstractly conceivable or visibly symbolic knowledge, it is, at any rate…” quote by Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bec/otto-weininger-11319_acquisition_no-one-suffers-so-much-as-he-the-genius_20597.jpg)
