Introductions to the theory of knowledge are plentiful, but none
introduce students to the most recent debates that exercise contemporary
philosophers. Ian Evans and Nicholas D. Smith aim to change that. Their
book guides the reader through the standard theories of knowledge while
simultaneously using these as a springboard to introduce current
debates. Each chapter concludes with a "Current Trends" section pointing
the reader to the best literature dominating current philosophical
discussion. These include: the puzzle of reasonable disagreement; the
so-called "problem of easy knowledge" the intellectual virtues; and new
theories in the philosophy of language relating to knowledge.
Chapters include discussions of skepticism, the truth condition, belief
and acceptance, justification, internalism versus externalism, epistemic
evaluation, and epistemic contextualism. Evans and Smith do not merely
offer a review of existing theories and debates; they also offer a novel
theory that takes seriously the claim that knowledge is not unique to
humans. Surveying current scientific literature in animal ethology, they
discover surprising sophistication and diversity in non-human cognition.
In their final analysis the authors provide a unified account of
knowledge that manages to respect and explain this diversity. They argue
that animals know when they make appropriate use of the cognitive
processes available to animals of that kind, in environments within
which those processes are veridically well-adapted.
Knowledge is a lively and accessible volume, ideal for undergraduate
and post-graduate students. It is also set to spark debate among
scholars for its novel approaches to traditional topics and its
thoroughgoing commitment to naturalism.
