A Critical Introduction To Testimony

The epistemology of testimony is a rapidly developing area in contemporary analytic philosophy. In this first thorough survey of the recent debate on the subject, Axel Gelfert provides an in-depth introduction to what has become one of the liveliest debates in contemporary epistemology. Covering existing literature and major debates, A Critical Introduction to Testimony discusses the epistemic status of testimony-based beliefs, relates changes to relevant developments in other areas and offers a critical perspective on current and future research trends.

Devoting space to both the applications of social epistemology and the larger conceptual issues of knowledge, Gelfert not only introduces the epistemology of testimony; he offers an up-to-date introduction to epistemology. Equipped with a mix of study questions, examples, and suggestions for further reading, students of contemporary epistemology will find this a reliable guide to studying testimony as a source of knowledge.

Review: Gelfert has left no stone in the epistemology of testimony unturned, providing an impressively comprehensive treatment of the issues in this vast area, and doing so with clarity and fair-mindedness. This is a must-read for anyone interested in social epistemology. -- Jennifer Lackey, Professor of Philosophy and Director of Graduate Studies, Northwestern University, USA Axel Gelfert has written a lucid, comprehensive, fair and balanced introduction to the epistemology of testimony, clearly useful for students and scholars alike.

If you're interested in learning about how we learn from others, this is the place to start. -- Peter Graham, Professor of Philosophy, University of California, Riverside, USA Epistemology has often been viewed as a debate between raitonalists and empiricists. What's left out in these debates is, well, most everything, everything about the normal ways we come to know things - which involve other people.

So it's a heartening thing to see epistemology taking a turn toward a rigorous analysis of testimony as a source of knowledge. In any case, Gelfert's book provides a careful, balanced introduction to an important discussion in contemporary epistemology. -- Peter Leithart First Things