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Erkenntnisgewissheit

Erkenntnisgewissheit is a German term that denotes the certainty or indubitability of knowledge claims. It refers to the epistemic status by which a belief is not only justified and true but held with absolute confidence. In German philosophy the concept is used to discuss whether any knowledge can be secured against doubt and how such certainty is attained or justified.

Historically, the problem of Erkenntnisgewissheit has shaped major strands of epistemology. In early modern rationalism, philosophers

In contemporary discussions, Erkenntnisgewissheit is often treated as a diagnostic ideal rather than a live possibility.

See also: epistemology, certainty, justification, foundationalism, fallibilism, skepticism.

sought
indubitable
foundations
for
knowledge,
exemplified
by
Descartes’
quest
for
a
method
of
doubt
and
the
cogito
as
a
bedrock
of
certainty.
Immanuel
Kant
reframed
certainty
as
a
feature
of
our
cognitive
faculties:
synthetic
a
priori
knowledge
is
certain
because
it
arises
from
the
necessary
structures
of
understanding,
while
things
as
they
are
in
themselves
remain
beyond
complete
certainty.
The
rise
of
empiricism,
skepticism,
and
later
analytic
philosophy
challenged
the
idea
of
global,
unconditional
certitude,
emphasizing
fallibilism,
justification,
or
reliability
instead
of
absolute
certainty.
Most
epistemologists
deny
the
existence
of
universally
universal
certainty
and
examine
local
or
domain-specific
certainties
(for
example
in
logic
or
mathematics)
or
defend
fallibilist
accounts
of
knowledge.
The
term
remains
a
focal
point
in
debates
about
the
nature
of
justification,
the
limits
of
human
knowledge,
and
the
role
of
certainty
in
epistemic
justification.