Final answer:
The question pertains to epistemology and the contrast between internalist and externalist views on knowledge justification. An internalist requires cognitive access to justification, whereas an externalist allows for external factors to justify knowledge. It's important to recognize the limits of one's knowledge and to be cautious about asserting knowledge without justification.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question you've asked touches on an important concept in epistemology, the study of knowledge and belief. The scenario you described—knowing something without being able to justify it to someone else—is related to the difference between internalist and externalist accounts of knowledge justification. Internalists argue that one must have cognitive access to reasons or justification to genuinely know something, whereas externalists contend that knowing can be justified by factors external to a person's cognitive awareness.
Let's consider the claim that Aristotle wrote about unicorns. Even if you can't currently recall the reasons you believe this claim, externalists might argue that if it originated from a reputable source, your belief could still be justified. Nonetheless, without the capacity to recall this justification, internalists would maintain that you do not have knowledge in this instance. In philosophy, such puzzles are often explored through thought experiments, like the one involving the evil demon hypothesis which challenges our certainty about the external world.
In your example, if you cannot present justification when questioned, the internalist view would suggest that you don't possess knowledge. However, an externalist might be more lenient if there are reliable, external indicators that your belief was formed correctly. The ability to acknowledge limits in one's knowledge is crucial, aligning with Socrates's advice on the importance of recognizing what you do not know, thus keeping an open mind for further learning and avoiding the assertion of knowledge where justification is absent.