A Companion to Epistemology, 2 Volume Set, 3rd Edition
A Companion to Epistemology provides a comprehensive, up-to-date reference for understanding the theory of knowledge. Edited by distinguished scholars, this expanded third edition explores classic questions about knowledge and justified belief alongside contemporary topics such as social and political epistemology, the ethics of belief, and the epistemology of perception. With contributions from established and younger voices in the field, each entry offers insights into key issues, definitions, and debates, creating a rich resource for both introductory and advanced exploration.
Extending its reach with critical coverage of emerging and underexplored areas, this third edition contains more than 50 new survey articles and an updated ""Epistemology A-Z"" glossary containing hundreds of entries. It also brings in wider perspectives, covering classical Indian and Islamic epistemology and featuring new entries on historical and present-day women philosophers, for example. With clear explanations and thoughtful analysis, the Companion captures the diversity and relevance of epistemology today.
Ideal for undergraduate and graduate students studying philosophy, cognitive science, or ethics, A Companion to Epistemology is also an indispensable reference for educators, scholars, and researchers. Its accessible yet thorough structure makes it a valuable addition to any academic collection, supporting coursework, independent study, and advanced research.
Edited by:
Kurt Sylvan (University of Southampton UK),
Jonathan Dancy (University of Texas at Austin,
USA),
Ernest Sosa (Rutgers University,
NJ; Brown University,
RI),
Matthias Steup (University of Colorado at Boulder,
USA)
Imprint: Wiley-Blackwell
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: 3rd edition
Dimensions:
Height: 244mm,
Width: 170mm,
Spine: 150mm
Weight: 680g
ISBN: 9781119757795
ISBN 10: 1119757797
Series: Blackwell Companions to Philosophy
Pages: 1440
Publication Date: 01 January 2026
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
College/higher education
,
Undergraduate
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
List of Contributors Preface to the First Edition Preface to the Second Edition Preface to the Third Edition SECTION 1: 1 Ancient Greek and Roman Epistemology 2 Plato's Epistemology 3 Empiricism in Aristotle 4 Epistemology in Classical Chinese Epistemology 5 Sanskrit Epistemology 6 Classical Islamic Epistemology 7 Early Modern Epistemology 8 Descartes's Clarity-First Epistemology 9 Kant on Truth and Reason 10 Early Analytic Epistemology 11 Continental Epistemology [reprint, moved from A-Z] 12 African Epistemology 13 Cross-Linguistic Studies in Epistemology SECTION 2: 14 The Analysis of Knowledge 15 Internalism vs. Externalism 16 The Structure of Justification 17 The Basing Relation 18 The Nature of Induction [reprint, moved from A-Z] 19 Problems of Induction [reprint, moved from A-Z] 20 Bayesian Epistemology [reprint] 21 Defeat 22 Scepticism 23 Conservatism in Epistemology 24 A Priori Knowledge 25 Self-Knowledge 26 Intuition 27 Memory 28 Knowing from Words: In Defense of Cautious Optimism 29 Other Minds [reprint, moved from A-Z] 30 Perceptual Knowledge 31 Practical Knowledge 32 Religious Belief [reprint moved from A-Z] 33 Evidentialism 34 Reliabilism [reprint, moved from A-Z] 35 Sosa’s Epistemology in Perspective 36 Responsibilism 37 Knowledge-First Epistemology 38 Objectivity in Feminist Epistemology SECTION 3: 39 Pragmatic Encroachment 40 Understanding 41 Inquiry 42 Attention 43 Epistemology of Skills 44 Epistemology of Modality 45 Agent Functionalism 46 The Ethics of Belief 47 Permissivism 48 Epistemic Reasons 49 Disagreement 50 Opinion Pooling 51 Convergence to the Truth 52 Optimism and Pessimism about Testimonial Knowledge 53 Testimonial Injustice and the Nature of Epistemic Injustice 54 Political Epistemology 55 Standpoint Epistemology 56 Vice Epistemology 57 Ideology Index
KURT SYLVAN is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southampton. Specializing in epistemology, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of practical reason, he has published extensively in leading journals such as Philosophical Review, Mind, and Philosophy and Phenomenological Research. His research focuses on foundational questions about knowledge and the ethics of belief. JONATHAN DANCY is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. Known for his influential work in epistemology, moral philosophy, and the philosophy of practical reason, Dancy is the author of several foundational books in ethics and epistemology, including Contemporary Epistemology, Ethics without Principles, and Practical Reality. ERNEST SOSA is Board of Governors Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University. He previously taught at Brown University for more than forty years. A pioneer in virtue epistemology and inventor of telic virtue epistemology, Sosa has authored many influential books on knowledge and belief, including Judgement and Agency and Epistemic Explanations. MATTHIAS STEUP is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has published influential articles on the structure of justification, internalism vs. externalism, doxastic control, and the ethics of belief. He is co-editor of Wiley Blackwell’s Contemporary Debates in Epistemology, Third Edition.
