FOUNDATIONALISM Meaning and
Definition
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Foundationalism is an epistemological and philosophical position that asserts the existence of certain basic beliefs or propositions upon which all knowledge and justification ultimately depends. According to foundationalism, these foundational beliefs are self-evident, indubitable, or properly basic, and they serve as the solid underpinning of our knowledge structure.
In foundationalism, knowledge is built upon these foundational beliefs by means of rational inference. These core beliefs are considered to be incorrigible, meaning they cannot be proven wrong or doubted. They provide a stable and secure foundation from which other beliefs can be derived and justified. Foundational beliefs may encompass fundamental principles of logic, such as the law of non-contradiction, or self-evident truths that are intuitively known, such as the existence of one's own conscious experience.
Foundationalism stands in contrast to other positions, such as coherentism or evidentialism, which reject the notion of any foundational beliefs and emphasize the interconnectedness of beliefs in a holistic web. Critics of foundationalism argue that identifying and justifying foundational beliefs poses significant challenges, as well as potential circularity problems. Furthermore, they argue that knowledge is better understood as a complex and evolving network of interrelated beliefs rather than relying on a few presumed foundational certainties.
Overall, foundationalism seeks to establish a secure starting point for knowledge by positing certain unquestionable and irrefutable beliefs upon which all subsequent knowledge claims are built.
Common Misspellings for FOUNDATIONALISM
- doundationalism
- coundationalism
- voundationalism
- goundationalism
- toundationalism
- roundationalism
- fiundationalism
- fkundationalism
- flundationalism
- fpundationalism
- f0undationalism
- f9undationalism
- foyndationalism
- fohndationalism
- fojndationalism
- foindationalism
- fo8ndationalism
- fo7ndationalism
- foubdationalism
- foumdationalism
Etymology of FOUNDATIONALISM
The word "foundationalism" is derived from the noun "foundation", which comes from the Old French word "fondacion" and the Latin word "fundatio", both of which mean "a founding or establishing". The suffix "-alism" is added to the word "foundation" to indicate the doctrine, system, or practice associated with it. Therefore, "foundationalism" refers to the philosophical position or theory that emphasizes the existence of foundational principles or beliefs upon which all other knowledge, theories, or beliefs are built.
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