Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 20, 2026

Knowledge and Its Limits

Knowledge and Its Limits, a 2000 book by philosopher Timothy Williamson, argues that the concept of knowledge cannot be analyzed into a set of other concepts; instead, it is sui generis. Thus, though knowledge requires justification, truth, and belief, the word "knowledge" cannot be accurately regarded as simply shorthand for "justified true belief". It initiated a new approach to epistemology, generally referred to as knowledge-first epistemology.

Last revised
Jun 20, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
103 w
Citations
2
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Knowledge and Its Limits
AuthorTimothy Williamson
GenreNon-fiction
Published2000
PublisherOxford University Press
Pages354 pages
ISBN9780191598678

Knowledge and Its Limits, a 2000 book by philosopher Timothy Williamson,1 argues that the concept of knowledge cannot be analyzed into a set of other concepts; instead, it is sui generis. Thus, though knowledge requires justification, truth, and belief, the word "knowledge" cannot be accurately regarded as simply shorthand for "justified true belief". It initiated a new approach to epistemology, generally referred to as knowledge-first epistemology.2

See also

See also

References

References

  1. Timothy Williamson (2000). Knowledge and its Limits. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-825043-6.
  2. Aidan McGlynn, Knowledge First?, Springer, 2014, p. ix.