Reliabilism is an epistemological theory that proposes that a belief is justified if it results from a reliable cognitive process. The core idea is that if a belief-forming process tends to produce true beliefs, then beliefs formed using that process are justified. For example, perception, memory, and deductive reasoning are generally considered reliable processes that tend to result in true beliefs. So according to reliabilism, beliefs formed using these processes are justified.
Reliabilism stands in contrast to other theories of justification like foundationalism and coherentism. Foundationalism argues that a belief is justified if it is self-evident or based on basic foundational beliefs. Coherentism proposes that a belief is justified if it coheres or fits with a larger set of beliefs. Reliabilism shifts the focus from the relationship between beliefs to the processes that form beliefs. If the process is truth-conducive, the belief is justified.
The roots of reliabilism can be traced back to philosopher Alvin Goldman in the late 1960s. Goldman argued that a knower is justified if their belief results from a reliable cognitive process, and the process tends to yield true beliefs. He proposed that epistemology should focus on the causal generation of beliefs and identify reliable belief-forming processes. Goldman later refined his views into what he called a proper functionalist theory of justification. On this view, a belief is justified when it results from cognitive faculties functioning properly according to a design plan aimed at truth.
Several key aspects define reliabilist theories:
1. Truth-Conduciveness: A process must reliably yield true beliefs to confer justification. The higher the ratio of true to false beliefs it produces, the more reliable it is.
2. Externalist Justification: Justification depends on factors external to one’s mind, not just internal coherence. Even if one cannot tell that a process is reliable, the resulting belief can still be justified.
3. Types of Processes: Perception, memory, reason, and testimony are among the main processes reliabilism examines. But any process involved in belief formation can be assessed for reliability.
4. Evidence Sensitivity: Some reliabilists argue that a process must be sensitive and responsive to evidence to be reliable, while others do not require this.
Reliabilism has several benefits as a theory but also faces challenges:
Potential Benefits
– It aligns with commonsense intuition that using faculties aimed at truth produces justified beliefs.
– It avoids problems with skepticism and circularity that plague coherentist and foundationalist theories.
– It provides an objective basis for justification based on truth-conduciveness.
Potential Challenges
– Gettier cases show that justified true belief is not sufficient for knowledge. Reliability alone may not fully capture knowledge.
– Assessing and quantifying the reliability of different cognitive processes can be complex.
– It does not address what makes a process objectively reliable across varying circumstances and for different people.
There are also different forms of reliabilism:
1. Actual Reliabilism: A belief is justified if it is produced by a belief-forming process that actually tends to produce true beliefs.
2. Hypothetical Reliabilism: A belief is justified if it is produced by a belief-forming process that would tend to produce true beliefs in relevant hypothetical circumstances.
3. Normal Circumstances Reliabilism: A belief is justified if it is produced by a process that is truth-conducive in normal circumstances, whether actual or hypothetical.
Reliabilism remains influential in contemporary epistemology, though many details are still debated by proponents. It provides an externalist, naturalistic way of thinking about justification focused on the truth-conduciveness of belief-forming processes. The theory continues to generate discussion about the nature of knowledge and rational belief.
Reliabilism in the Bible
The Bible does not directly address reliabilism as a philosophical theory of epistemic justification. However, some key biblical principles and passages relate to core ideas in reliabilism and the general reliability of human cognitive faculties:
1. God created people with sensory and rational abilities aimed at knowing truth (Genesis 1-2)
2. The Fall impacted human faculties but did not completely destroy them (Genesis 3; Romans 1:18-32)
3. Some processes for acquiring knowledge are treated as generally reliable, such as perception (Luke 24:39; Acts 4:20), reason (Isaiah 1:18; Romans 12:1-2), memory (John 14:26), and conscience (Romans 2:14-15).
4. At the same time, the Bible acknowledges the limitations and imperfections of human knowledge (1 Corinthians 13:9-12; Romans 11:33-34).
5. Truth ultimately comes from God, not just the reliability of human processes (John 14:6; Colossians 2:3).
6. Functions like eyesight can be analogized to spiritual perception of truth (Matthew 13:13-16; 2 Corinthians 4:4-6).
7. Scripture is treated as an infallible divine source of knowledge and truth (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21).
So in summary, the Bible presupposes the general reliability of human faculties for acquiring knowledge, which aligns with a broad reliabilist approach. But it also subordinates this reliability to God as the ultimate source of truth and recognizes human limitations. Developing a fully biblical reliabilist epistemology would require examining these and additional relevant passages more closely.
Objections to Reliabilism
Though reliabilism is a prominent epistemological theory, philosophers have raised various objections to it over the years:
1. The Generality Problem: What is the proper level of generality to assess a cognitive process? Too narrow and most will be reliable; too broad and most will be unreliable.
2. The Threshold Problem: What minimum level of reliability is required to confer justification? There is no principled way to set an exact threshold.
3. The Value Problem: Reliabilism focuses only on truth-conduciveness, ignoring other epistemic values like evidence, reason, coherence, etc.
4. The New Evil Demon Problem: Reliabilism implies victims of systematic deception still have justified true beliefs based on reliable faculties. This seems counterintuitive.
5. No Ability to Guide: Reliabilism merely describes justification post hoc, but does not provide practical guidance to form justified beliefs, unlike other approaches.
6. Minimalist Justification: Justification arises too easily for mere reliably formed true belief. Internalist components seem necessary for reflective justification.
7. The Problem of Epistemic Luck: Gettier cases show justified true belief is compatible with massive epistemic luck, which reliabilism permits.
Defenders of reliabilism have proposed various responses to these objections. But they continue to be discussed as potential weaknesses of reliabilist theories. It is argued these problems show the limitations of externalist, etiological accounts and that an internalist element is needed for a more complete account of well-founded justification.
Alternatives to Reliabilism
Given some of the objections raised, philosophers have proposed alternative theories aiming to give a better account of epistemic justification:
1. Foundationalism – Beliefs are justified through self-evident basic beliefs or incorrigible foundations. Justification proceeds from these secure foundations.
2. Coherentism – Beliefs gain justification by cohering with other beliefs in a larger, coherent system. Emphasizes inferential connections between beliefs.
3. Virtue Epistemology – Justification is achieved through the intellectual virtues of the knower, such as wisdom, discernment, attentiveness, intellectual courage, open-mindedness, etc. Focus is on the character of knowers.
4. Evidentialism – Emphasizes having sufficient evidence or reasons for beliefs. Justification arises from possessing adequate evidence, not just reliability.
5. Epistemic Internalism – Justification requires various internalist elements, such as awareness, reflection, reason, intellectual appearances, doxastic responsibility, reasonability, etc.
6. Reformed Epistemology – Within a theistic framework, God endows humans with basic cognitive faculties aimed at truth. Beliefs formed through proper function of these faculties are justified.
Each of these theories provides a distinct account aiming to improve on perceived deficits in reliabilism. Reliabilist theories remain highly influential, but there are many alternatives in epistemology focused on other facets of justification.