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Epistemic Circularity: Malignant and Benign *
Author(s) -
BERGMANN MICHAEL
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
philosophy and phenomenological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1933-1592
pISSN - 0031-8205
DOI - 10.1111/j.1933-1592.2004.tb00524.x
Subject(s) - naturalism , philosophy , epistemology , argument (complex analysis) , citation , philosophy of science , analytic philosophy , philosophy of mind , contemporary philosophy , metaphysics , computer science , library science , chemistry , biochemistry
mology conference held in 2003. 1 You might think that by using a lie detector, you can come to trust a doubted witness on the basis of that witness’s testimony on his own behalf. But that is a case where you have testimony from another source confirming that person’s testimony. The other source is that person’s heart rate, etc. which is monitored by the lie detector and which can either confirm or disconfirm claims made by that person. Likewise, some people think that they can look a person in the eye and tell whether that person is lying. What’s happening in such cases is similar to what happens when using a lie detector. The listener is using another source (body language, eye appearance) to confirm or disconfirm the witness’s claim that he is trustworthy.