The Problem of the Criterion 

We acquire knowledge through methods such as perception and reasoning and, according to an intuitively plausible principle, acquiring knowledge through such a method requires us first to know that this method is reliable. But it has long been recognized that this seems to give rise to a vicious regress, making knowledge impossible. Rejecting the principle, on the other hand, seems to make knowledge too easy: we could come to know that a method is reliable by using that very method! So how might we solve this ancient puzzle? Professor Conor McHugh discusses this fundamental problem of epistemology in a talk given at the University of Southampton in 2015 as part of the Philosophy Café series.
#Philosophy #Epistemology #Skepticism