foundationalism
Knowledge needs foundations
Foundationalism is a theory in philosophy holding that all knowledge rests on a foundation of basic beliefs that are self-evident or otherwise certain, requiring no further justification.
These foundational beliefs then support all other knowledge claims, much like a building's foundation supports the structure above it.
The theory attempts to solve the problem of infinite regress in justification—if every belief needs another belief to justify it, where does the chain end?
Classical foundationalism holds that sense experience provides indubitable starting points for knowledge.
Requiring no demonstration
- indubitableImpossible to doubt
- incorrigibleImpossible to reform
- a prioriIndependent of experience
- analyticExamining by decomposition
Euclidean · postulates · primitive · deduction · theorem · proof · first principles · undeniable
Unending causal chain
- justificationReason proving rightness
- DescartesCogito ergo sum's author
- CartesianOf x-y coordinate geometry
- a prioriIndependent of experience
self-evident · empiricism · rationalism · Aristotle · Aquinas · Chisholm · given
Solid stone underground
- edificeLarge impressive building
- pyramidPointed polyhedral solid
- hierarchyRanked authority structure
- baseSupporting bottom structure
superstructure · architecture · building · groundwork · cornerstone · supporting · derived · basic
Formal authorization document
- groundsBasis for justification
- evidenceFacts supporting truth
- reasonsBases for conclusions
- inferentialDerived through reasoning
incorrigibility · certainty · terminus · grounding · bootstrapping · circularity
Wholes trump components
- regressRevert to earlier state
- circularityState of being round
- contextualismBelief justification varies situationally
- pragmatismPractical problem-solving philosophy
self-evident
Requiring no demonstration
- indubitableImpossible to doubt
- incorrigibleImpossible to reform
- a prioriIndependent of experience
analytic · Euclidean · postulates · primitive · deduction · theorem · proof · first principles · undeniable · certain
infinite regress
Unending causal chain
- justificationReason proving rightness
- DescartesCogito ergo sum's author
- CartesianOf x-y coordinate geometry
a priori · self-evident · empiricism · rationalism · Aristotle · Aquinas · Chisholm · given
bedrock
Solid stone underground
base · superstructure · architecture · building · groundwork · cornerstone · supporting · derived · basic · terminal
warrant
Formal authorization document
inferential · incorrigibility · certainty · terminus · grounding · bootstrapping · circularity
holism
Wholes trump components
- regressRevert to earlier state
- circularityState of being round
- contextualismBelief justification varies situationally
pragmatism · Wittgenstein · deconstruction · Derrida · relativism
foundationalismanti-foundationalism
Denial of certain foundations
poststructuralism · deconstruction · relativism · constructivism · postmodernism
found, foundation, founder, fundamental, foundations, unfounded, fundamentally, foundational, fundament