Necessary and Sufficient Conditions Quiz

Understanding Knowledge

• A philosophical account of knowledge includes a description of the phenomenon, analysis, connection to other ideas, and consequences of the analysis.
• The plan is to provide an account of what knowledge is, and to start, we need to narrow down what we mean by "knowledge".

Uses of the Word "Know"

• The word "know" is used in various ways, such as:
  • Narayan knows that SFU is in Burnaby (knowing a fact)
  • Minjae knows how to ride a bike (knowing a skill)
  • Zoe knows the prime minister personally (knowing someone)

Differences in "Knowing"

• The question is whether these different uses of "know" are connected or if they represent multiple meanings of "know".

Necessary and Sufficient Conditions

• A necessary condition for B is when everything that is B must also be A (B implies A).
• A sufficient condition for B is when anything that is A must also be B (A implies B).
• A collection of conditions is necessary and sufficient for B when:
  • Each condition is individually necessary for B.
  • All conditions together are sufficient for B.

Examples of Necessary and Sufficient Conditions

• "Being a terrier" is sufficient for "being a dog".
• "Scoring at least 60%" is a necessary condition for "getting a C or better in 100W".
• The conditions for "being champagne" include:
  • Fermented from grapes.
  • Sparkling (naturally carbonated).
  • Produced in the Champagne region of France.

Goal of the Lecture

• The aim is to answer the question: what does it mean to know something?
• This will be done by providing a philosophical account of knowledge.