Testimony: A Philosophical Study - Softcover

Coady, C. A. J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0198235518 ISBN 13: 9780198235514

Publisher: Clarendon Press, 1995

Synopsis

Our trust in the word of others is often dismissed as unworthy, because the illusory ideal of "autonomous knowledge" has prevailed in the debate about the nature of knowledge. Yet we are profoundly dependent on others for a vast amount of what any of us claim to know. Coady explores the nature of testimony in order to show how it might be justified as a source of knowledge, and uses the insights that he has developed to challenge certain widespread assumptions in the areas of history, law, mathematics, and psychology.

About this title

About the Author

C. A. J. Coady is at University of Melbourne.

From the Back Cover

Professor Coady begins by exploring the nature and depth of our reliance upon testimony, addressing the complex definitional puzzles surrounding the idea. He analyses the tradition of debate on the topic in order to gain a deeper understanding of the issues and to revel the epistemic individualism which has given rise to an illusory ideal of 'autonomous knowledge'. Avoiding such individualistic commitments, he concludes the first part of the book by providing a defense of testimony as a source of knowledge. In the second half of the book the author uses this new view of testimony to challenge certain widespread assumptions in the fields of history, mathematics, psychology, and law.

Edition details

• Publisher: Clarendon Press
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0198235518
• ISBN 13: 9780198235514
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 326