“Given its more substantial aim, a judgment is apt only if its constitutive alethic affirmation is not only apt but aptly apt. The subject must attain aptly not only the truth of his affirmation but also its aptness. And that in turn requires not only the proper operation of one's perception, memory, inference, etc., but also that one deploy such competences through competent epistemic risk assessment.” IfsTurnsGivenMemoriesRiskSubjectsJudgmentPerceptionAimOperationsEtcAffirmationCompetenceCompetentAssessmentInference Author:Ernest Sosa
“You attain aptness by judging while in good shape and in a good situation (good light, good distance, etc.), through the exercise of good barn-sorting epistemic competence.” LightSituationJudgingExerciseShapesDistanceEtcCompetenceBarnsSorting Author:Ernest Sosa
“In arriving at the relevant theory about the specifics of our faculty of vision we will presumably use our eyes to gather relevant data. Based on such data we come to know about the optic nerve, the structure of our eyes, the rods and cones, etc., so as to explain how it is that vision gives us reliable access to the shapes and colors of objects around us. In reliably arriving at that theory we thus exercise the very faculty whose reliability is explained by the theory. There is no vice in this sort of circularity.” KnowsGivingUseEyeVisionObjectsColorTheoryExerciseShapesStructureVicesAccessDataEtcFacultyNervesRelevantArrivingReliabilityConesSpecificsCircularity Author:Ernest Sosa
“Philosophers do need to have intuitions of various specific sorts: ethical, metaphysical, etc., depending on their targeted subject matter. And they must make intuition reports, as they record the contents of their intuitions. But they need not go into whether an intuition has been enjoyed.” NeedsHas BeensMatterRecordsSubjectsPhilosopherVariousIntuitionEnjoyedReportsEtcEthicalMetaphysicalSubject Matter Author:Ernest Sosa
“Compare the credit for a football touchdown, which might be shared by the receiver not only with the quarterback, but also with the linesmen who make crucial protective plays, etc. The success of the touchdown play depends on the receiver, it is true; but in a particular case it might depend far more on the work of others.” PlayMightCasesFootballParticularDependsCreditCompareEtcCrucialProtectiveQuarterbackReceiverTouchdowns Author:Ernest Sosa
“When I accept someone's testimony, I am thus only a small part of the full seat of epistemic competence, which might include many others in a long chain. My own contribution might then be slight, just through the perceptual and linguistic competence involved in knowing what someone is saying or writing, etc.” WritingLongMightMy OwnAcceptingKnowingInvolvedChainsContributionSeatsEtcTestimonyCompetenceSmall Parts Author:Ernest Sosa
