Question

I’ve been reading into The Problem of the Criterion, and I interpret that the second question may be synonymous with the expression "How do you know the answer to question 1 is true?" because the particular case presented is knowledge about anything and all things, whereby it’s being questioned how can you decide in that case (which is a particular case of any particular cases) whether or not you have knowledge in relation to such, which seems to me to be synonymous with the expression "How do you know that is true"

Am I right on my interpretation of how the second question may be interpreted?

My resolution:

If I argue that knowledge is a social construct, then I may argue in favor in social contract theory, whereby whether or not a statement is taken as true may be dependent upon whether or not people agree upon such statement being true in order to have utility from accepting such theory as sound and valid until it is falsified. My answer would then be utilitarian, whereby based on its utility for social persons under social contract theory, it would be knowledge rather than a theory. I think the problem with claiming knowledge to be a social construct would be how I know that to be true: Would such be a problem, thus indicating that I have not escaped The Problem of the Criterion?

My theory as to the answer to question 1 (What do we know?) is the following based on the belief that such is socially useful: We know that which we are able to satisfy the one or more necessary or sufficient criteria to have knowledge of.

Question: Would my argument of knowledge being a social construct be a resolution to The Problem of the Criterion?

Answer 1

Suggesting that knowledge as a social construct addresses The Problem of the Criterion by proposing our social practices as the justificatory framework. However, it raises further questions about how we justify these practices, indicating it might not fully resolve the problem.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question about whether knowledge being a social construct could be a resolution to The Problem of the Criterion explores a complex philosophical issue. The Problem of the Criterion concerns the interdependent relationship between knowing what we know (criteria) and knowing whether we have met those criteria (application). Suggesting that knowledge is a social construct might address the problem by proposing that our shared social practices determine the justificatory framework we use to assess knowledge claims.

However, this does not directly resolve the core issue, as one could then ask how we justify these social practices as valid criteria for knowledge. This invites further scrutiny into whether the social construct approach can provide a satisfactory answer to the problem of an infinite regress or circular justification that The Problem of the Criterion presents. Therefore, while positing knowledge as a social construct offers an interesting perspective, it might not fully resolve The Problem of the Criterion but rather shifts the focus to social justification.