Keith Lehrer is one of the leading proponents of a coherence theory of knowledge that seeks to explain what it means to know in a characteristically human way. Central to his account are the pivotal role played by a principle of self-trust and his insistence that a sound epistemology must ultimately be ecumenical in nature, combining elements of internalism and externalism. The present book is an extensive, self-contained, up-to-date study of Lehrer's epistemological work. Covering all major aspects, it contains original contributions by some of the most distinguished specialists in the field, outgoing from the latest, significantly revised version of Lehrer's theory. All basic ideas are explained in an introductory chapter. Lehrer's extensive replies in a final chapter give unique access to his current epistemological thinking.

Fellow philosophers comment on the epistemology of Lehrer, a leading proponent of the coherence theory of knowledge. Some are critical, while others attempt to defend or improve his theory. Their 18 essays cover externalism versus internalism, coherence and personal justification, trustworthiness, undefeated justification and the Gettier problem, and skepticism. Among the specific topics they address are whether epistemology depends on independence, relational coherence and cumulative reasoning, self-trust and the reasonableness of acceptance, Lehrer's dynamic theory of knowledge, and the ultrasystem and the conditional fallacy. He himself replies to the essays. There is no index.
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Preface.- Introduction. The Epistemology of Keith Lehrer.- Externalism vs. Internalism. 1. Epistemology: Does it Depend on Independence? 2. Why Not Reliabilism? 3. Justification and Proper Basing. 4. Lehrer on Knowledge and Causation. 5. Can we Grasp Consistency?- Coherence and Personal Justification. 6. Reasonable Acceptance and the Lottery Paradox: The Case for a More Credulous Consistency. 7. Relational Coherence and Cumulative Reasoning. 8. Lehrer Meets Ranking Theory. 9. Two Dogmas of Probabilism.- Trustworthiness. 10. Lehrer, Reid, and the First of All Principles. 11. Self-Trust and the Reasonableness of Acceptance. 12. The Dialectic illusion of a Vicious Bootstrap.- Undefeated Justification and the Gettier Problem. 13. Lehrer's Dynamic Theory of Knowledge. 14. Some Remarks on the Definition of Lehrer's Ultrasystem. 15. On Lehrer's Solution to the Gettier Prob1em.- Skepticism. 16. Skepticism, Justification and the Trustworthiness Argument. 17. Coherence, Knowledge and Skepticism. 18. The Ultrasystem and the Conditional Fallacy. 19. Coherence, Circularity and Consistency: Lehrer Replies.