Coherentism is an epistemological theory that holds that the justification of a belief depends on its coherence with other beliefs, rather than on its correspondence to an external reality. It emphasizes the importance of the logical and explanatory relationships between beliefs in determining their justification.
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Coherentism rejects the idea that beliefs can be justified by their correspondence to an external reality, and instead argues that beliefs are justified by their logical and explanatory coherence with other beliefs.
Coherentists believe that there are no foundational beliefs, and that all beliefs are justified by their relations to a coherent system of beliefs.
Coherentism is often contrasted with foundationalism, which holds that some beliefs are basic or foundational and can justify other beliefs.
Coherentism is a response to the problem of skepticism, as it provides a way of justifying beliefs without relying on a correspondence to an external reality.
Coherentism has been influential in contemporary philosophy, particularly in the fields of epistemology and the philosophy of science.
Review Questions
Explain how coherentism differs from foundationalism in its approach to justifying beliefs.
Coherentism rejects the foundationalist view that some beliefs are basic or foundational and can justify other beliefs. Instead, coherentists argue that the justification of a belief depends on its coherence with the broader system of beliefs, rather than on its correspondence to an external reality. Coherentists believe that there are no foundational beliefs, and that all beliefs are justified by their logical and explanatory relationships to other beliefs in a coherent system.
Describe how coherentism responds to the problem of skepticism.
Coherentism provides a way of justifying beliefs without relying on a correspondence to an external reality, which is the basis for skeptical arguments. By arguing that beliefs are justified by their coherence with a broader system of beliefs, coherentists can avoid the skeptical conclusion that we cannot know anything with certainty. Coherentism suggests that we can have justified beliefs based on the internal logical and explanatory relationships between our beliefs, rather than on a direct correspondence to an objective reality.
Analyze the role of coherentism in contemporary philosophy, particularly in the fields of epistemology and the philosophy of science.
Coherentism has been highly influential in contemporary philosophy, particularly in the fields of epistemology and the philosophy of science. In epistemology, coherentism provides an alternative to foundationalism and the correspondence theory of truth, offering a way of justifying beliefs that avoids the problems associated with those views. In the philosophy of science, coherentism has been used to argue that scientific theories are justified not by their correspondence to an external reality, but by their coherence with the broader body of scientific knowledge. This has led to important debates about the nature of scientific justification and the role of coherence in scientific reasoning.
The view that some beliefs are basic or foundational, and that other beliefs are justified by being logically derived from or supported by these basic beliefs.
Correspondence Theory of Truth: The view that the truth of a belief depends on whether it accurately represents or corresponds to an objective reality.