Knowledge of facts, also known as propositional knowledge, is fundamentally characterized as true belief that is distinct from opinion or guesswork by virtue of justification. This means it's not just believing something is true, but believing it for good reasons.
Understanding Propositional Knowledge
The provided reference highlights the core components and nature of this type of knowledge:
- Definition: It is defined as a form of true belief. You must actually believe something, and that something must genuinely be true.
- Distinction: What sets it apart from mere opinion or lucky guesses is justification. There must be valid reasons or evidence supporting the belief.
- Philosophical View: There's broad agreement among philosophers that propositional knowledge requires true belief. However, the exact nature of "justification" remains a significant area of debate and controversy within philosophy.
Why Justification Matters
Imagine believing it will rain tomorrow. If it rains, your belief was true. But was it knowledge? According to the definition, not necessarily.
- Opinion/Guesswork: If you just had a random feeling it would rain, or you flipped a coin and guessed, it was a true belief but likely not knowledge, as it lacked justification.
- Knowledge of Fact: If you believed it would rain because you read the weather forecast based on scientific data (justification), and it did rain, then your true belief qualifies as knowledge of a fact.
Justification provides the necessary link that elevates a true belief beyond mere coincidence or subjective feeling. It provides the grounding for why the belief is reliable.
Comparing Concepts
Here's a simple comparison:
| Concept | Belief? | True? | Justified? | Can it be Knowledge of Fact? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opinion | Yes | Maybe | No | No |
| Guesswork | Yes | Maybe | No | No |
| True Belief | Yes | Yes | Maybe | Only if justified |
| Knowledge | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Practical Examples
- Example 1: Believing the Earth is round.
- Belief: You believe it.
- True: It is true.
- Justification: You learned it in school, seen photos from space, understand gravity's role, etc.
- Outcome: This is considered knowledge of a fact.
- Example 2: Believing you won the lottery based on a dream.
- Belief: You believe it.
- True: Maybe, by chance, you did win.
- Justification: None other than a dream.
- Outcome: Even if true, it's not knowledge of the fact based on this definition, as it lacks proper justification.
In summary, knowledge of facts is a specific type of true belief distinguished by having strong, valid reasons or evidence behind it, differentiating it from beliefs held purely out of opinion or guesswork.
