[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.65,0:00:08.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My name is Jennifer Nagel.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.02,0:00:11.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I teach philosophy at the university of Toronto,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.45,0:00:13.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and today I want to talk to you about knowledge.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.90,0:00:17.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Knowledge is something human beings naturally crave,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:17.31,0:00:19.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we spend a lot of time and effort
Dialogue: 0,0:00:19.08,0:00:21.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,trying to gain it, for example by
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.25,0:00:22.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,watching videos like this one.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:23.39,0:00:25.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We also have natural instincts to keep
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.55,0:00:27.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,track of what other people do and don't know
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.93,0:00:30.63,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in order to make sense of what they're doing.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.19,0:00:33.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it's suprisingly difficult to give a good
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.51,0:00:36.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,explanation of the nature of knowledge itself,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.98,0:00:38.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and to say how knowing that something is
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.92,0:00:41.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,true, differs from just thinking that it's true.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:42.80,0:00:45.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When we try to figure out what knowledge is,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.03,0:00:47.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we encounter some interesting questions
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.47,0:00:51.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and paradoxes. This series explores these problems,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.33,0:00:54.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and explains how philosophers have tried to solve them.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.96,0:00:57.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This particular video will focus on some basic
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.64,0:01:00.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,features of knowledge, features that any good
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.07,0:01:02.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,theory of it should try to explain.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.97,0:01:05.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, what kinds of things can you know?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.46,0:01:09.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The english verb "know" is used in several ways;
Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.51,0:01:12.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can know a person, "Alice knows Pierre";
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.64,0:01:15.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a place, "Pierre knows Paris";
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.42,0:01:17.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or a language, "Alice knows french".
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.45,0:01:20.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the most common way of using the verb
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.74,0:01:23.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"to know" is the way we use it when we're
Dialogue: 0,0:01:23.42,0:01:26.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,speaking of someone knowing a fact, as in
Dialogue: 0,0:01:26.76,0:01:28.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Alice knows that it's raining outside".
Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.32,0:01:32.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In this series we'll be focusing on this
Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.62,0:01:36.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,knowing-a-fact sense of the verb "to know".
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.25,0:01:39.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sometimes this is called "knowledge-that",
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.89,0:01:43.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but actually, along with "that", you can use
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.30,0:01:45.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,question words like "where" or "when".
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.06,0:01:49.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Pierre knows when the party will start"
Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.43,0:01:52.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or "Pierre knows where the party is".
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.73,0:01:55.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Knowing where the party is means knowing the
Dialogue: 0,0:01:55.67,0:01:58.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,answer to the question "where's the party?",
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.47,0:02:01.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that's going to be a fact, like the fact
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.61,0:02:04.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the party is at Alice's place. Knowledge is
Dialogue: 0,0:02:04.59,0:02:07.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a way of being latched on to a fact.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.72,0:02:10.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is thought that every language in the world
Dialogue: 0,0:02:10.72,0:02:13.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has a word that works to translate this fact-grabbing
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.71,0:02:16.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sense of the word "to know".
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.31,0:02:19.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this kind of global popularity is very rare,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.45,0:02:21.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,only about a hundred words are thought
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.70,0:02:23.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be universal in this way.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.27,0:02:27.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Around the world, words meaning "to know" are
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.27,0:02:30.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,also very heavily used. It's one of the top ten
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.51,0:02:33.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,most common words in english for example.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:34.15,0:02:36.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we often find ourselves talking about
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.80,0:02:39.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,knowledge, but when we say someone knows
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.61,0:02:42.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,something, what do we mean?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.76,0:02:45.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It can help to compare knowing and just believing.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:46.17,0:02:48.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Consider these two sentences:
Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.78,0:02:52.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,1. "Alice knows that it's raining outside."
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.66,0:02:56.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,2. "Pierre believes that it's raining outside."
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.15,0:03:00.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We instinctively feel some difference between
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.02,0:03:02.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Alice and Pierre, but what is it?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.69,0:03:05.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Actually, we'll see there's several possible
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.38,0:03:07.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,points of contrast here.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:07.63,0:03:10.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first and easiest has to do with truth.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.68,0:03:13.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If Pierre just believes that it's raining outside,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.30,0:03:16.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where he is, maybe he's wrong. Maybe the
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.29,0:03:18.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rain has stopped, and he's fooled by the
Dialogue: 0,0:03:18.22,0:03:20.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sound of water dripping from the trees.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.54,0:03:24.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The things we believe are sometimes true
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.28,0:03:25.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and sometimes false.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.19,0:03:28.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What we actually know on the other hand,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.19,0:03:33.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has to be true, or factual. So there's no problem saying
Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.03,0:03:35.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Pierre believes it's raining, but it isn't."
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.52,0:03:37.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,While it sounds weird to say
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.02,0:03:39.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Alice knows it's raining, but it isn't."
Dialogue: 0,0:03:39.50,0:03:42.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is because attachment to the truth
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.37,0:03:44.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is built into the meaning of knows-that.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.36,0:03:47.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Beyond truth, another key feature of
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.100,0:03:49.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,knowledge is confidence.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.83,0:03:51.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let's suppose that Pierre is in a windowless
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.56,0:03:54.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,room, and he's been there for an hour.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.32,0:03:56.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He could suspect that it's still raining
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.48,0:03:58.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,outside, even of he's not totally sure.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:59.09,0:04:01.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But if Alice knows that it's raining, she has
Dialogue: 0,0:04:01.90,0:04:03.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,no doubt. She's confident.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.29,0:04:07.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, is confident belief in a truth enough
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.65,0:04:10.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for knowing? Apparently not.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.76,0:04:13.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's at least one more thing we need.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.79,0:04:17.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Imagine that Pierre is really pessimistic,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.50,0:04:19.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he's always strongly convinced that
Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.59,0:04:22.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,things will go badly. He's often wrong,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:22.10,0:04:25.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but sometimes he's right. Today he wakes up
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.75,0:04:28.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in a windowless room, aware that Alice has
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.76,0:04:31.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,planned a picnic because the forecast was
Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.30,0:04:34.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for sunny weather. "It's going to be terrible",
Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.62,0:04:38.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,he thinks. "I'm sure it's already raining right now".
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.11,0:04:43.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He's entirely confident that it's raining,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.30,0:04:45.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,although he can't actually see or hear the rain.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.27,0:04:48.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And let's say by chance it turns out he's
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.70,0:04:51.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,right this time. Does Pierre actually know
Dialogue: 0,0:04:51.90,0:04:53.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that it's raining outside?
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.13,0:04:57.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If he doesn't know, then it seems knowledge
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.10,0:04:59.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,requires something more than confident
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.82,0:05:03.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,belief in a truth. Feeling pessimistic isn't
Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.58,0:05:06.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a good basis for judgements about the weather.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.63,0:05:08.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Your judgement needs to have a good basis
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.99,0:05:10.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in order to count as knowledge.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:11.45,0:05:14.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But what kind of basis counts as good?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:15.15,0:05:17.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Do you have to be standing outside,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:17.45,0:05:20.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,getting wet? As you will see,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.27,0:05:22.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the upcoming videos on the analysis of
Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.53,0:05:25.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,knowledge, this is a controversial question.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:25.88,0:05:28.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But before we get to that problem, we'll
Dialogue: 0,0:05:28.33,0:05:32.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tackle a more basic problem: is knowledge even
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.70,0:05:35.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,possible for us? Even in the best case
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.91,0:05:38.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,scenario, when it feels like you're standing
Dialogue: 0,0:05:38.32,0:05:40.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,right outside, right in the rain, can you
Dialogue: 0,0:05:40.56,0:05:42.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,really know that it's raining outside?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.56,0:05:46.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Could you be dreaming for example,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.22,0:05:47.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on a clear night?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.33,0:05:50.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is the problem of skepticism,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:50.54,0:05:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,explored in the next video.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.00,0:05:55.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The two following videos will explain
Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.69,0:05:58.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,possible solutions to skepticism.