Are modal conditions necessary for knowledge?

• Main Author: Dacela, Mark Anthony L.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2019
• Subjects: Gettier problem; Epistemic logic; Sensitivity (Personality trait); Human security; Philosophy
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/3377; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/faculty_research/article/4379/viewcontent/13.1.a5
• Institution: De La Salle University

Modal epistemic conditions have played an important role in post-Gettier theories of knowledge. These conditions purportedly eliminate the pernicious kind of luck present in all Gettier-type cases and offer a rather convincing way of refuting skepticism. This motivates the view that conditions of this sort are necessary for knowledge. I argue against this. I claim that modal conditions, particularly sensitivity and safety, are not necessary for knowledge. I do this by noting that the problem cases for both conditions point to a problem that cannot be fixed even by a revised similarity ranking or ordering of worlds. I offer as groundwork a set theoretical analysis of the profiles of the problem cases for safety and sensitivity. I then demonstrate that these conditions fail whenever necessary links constitutive of the epistemic situation actually obtain but are not modally preserved. © 2019 Mark Anthony L. Dacela.