Knowledge from Non-Knowledge: Inference, Testimony and Memory

Federico Luzzi challenges the view that inferential knowledge from non-knowledge is impossible and proposes a defeater-based framework to better understand the phenomenon of knowledge from non-knowledge across inference, testimony, and memory.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 210 pages
Publication date: 28 October 2021
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

In epistemology, it is widely accepted that inferential knowledge cannot stem from non-knowledge. This means that for a subject to grasp the conclusion of their inference, they must possess a firm grasp of the fundamental premises upon which that conclusion is based. In his book, Federico Luzzi takes a critical stance towards this viewpoint, contending that it is less convincing than intuition suggests and that it can be readily abandoned without incurring significant losses. Spanning inference, testimony, and memory, Luzzi delves into the diverse array of challenges posed to this view, drawing connections between them and epistemological cases that lend support to those challenges. He then presents a framework rooted in defeaters, which enables a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of knowledge derived from non-knowledge across these three epistemic domains. This book is of immense interest to a broad spectrum of readers engaged in the study of epistemology.

In epistemology, it is widely accepted that inferential knowledge cannot stem from non-knowledge. This means that for a subject to grasp the conclusion of their inference, they must possess a firm grasp of the fundamental premises upon which that conclusion is based. In his book, Federico Luzzi takes a critical stance towards this viewpoint, contending that it is less convincing than intuition suggests and that it can be readily abandoned without incurring significant losses. Spanning inference, testimony, and memory, Luzzi delves into the diverse array of challenges posed to this view, drawing connections between them and epistemological cases that lend support to those challenges. He then presents a framework rooted in defeaters, which enables a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of knowledge derived from non-knowledge across these three epistemic domains. This book is of immense interest to a broad spectrum of readers engaged in the study of epistemology.

Weight: 322g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108741316