Gettier problem

Can we truly know something if luck plays a role in the truth we believe?

Imagine you're playing a game where you guess the number hidden in a hat. You have a good reason to guess 42, but by pure chance, it's actually 99. You guessed correctly, but your reason was flawed. Does this mean you "knew" the number?

The Gettier problem shows that having a justified true belief doesn't always mean you truly know something. Your good reason (justification) led to a true belief (truth), but luck (luck) played a role in the outcome.

Example

You believe the number in the hat is 42 because it's your birthday, and it turns out to be 99. Your belief is true, but your reason was incorrect.

Remember this

Justified true belief isn't enough for knowledge; luck can undermine true knowledge.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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