Epistemic Regress

Reasoning: Is the process of drawing conclusions from evidence or premises; often the basis for epistemic regress.

Justification: A reason or evidence that supports a belief or proposition.

Foundationalism: A theory of justification which posits that beliefs can be justified through a foundation of self-evident or basic beliefs.

Coherentism: A theory of justification which posits that beliefs are justified in relation to their coherence with other beliefs.

Infinitism: A theory of justification which posits that beliefs can be justified through an infinite regress of justifications.

Cartesian skepticism: The philosophical skepticism originating from Descartes' method of doubt, which doubts the validity of all beliefs until they can be proven beyond doubt.

Contextualism: A theory that posits that the meaning and truth of statements depend on their context and the speaker's intentions.

Pragmatism: A philosophical approach that evaluates beliefs based on their practical use and effectiveness in achieving specific goals.

Reliabilism: A theory of justification that posits that beliefs are justified if they are formed through a reliable process or method.

Internalism: A theory that posits that justification is determined solely by the mental status of the subject holding the belief and their access to reasons or evidence.

Externalism: A theory of justification that posits that justification depends on factors outside of the subject's mental states, such as the reliability of the belief-forming process.

Epistemic circularity: A situation in which one's justification for a belief relies on that belief itself.

Epistemic regress problem: The problem of explaining how we can have justified beliefs at all given that all justification seems to lead to an infinite regress.

Epistemology: The branch of philosophy that studies knowledge, justification, and belief.

Infinitist regress: This type of regress holds that knowledge or justification can only be obtained by an infinite series of reasons or justifications.

Foundationalist regress: The foundationalist regress maintains that knowledge or justification rests on certain basic beliefs or first principles, which are self-evident or perceptually secure.

Coherentist regress: This type of regress suggests that knowledge or justification depends on a coherent set or network of beliefs, where the justification for each belief is derived from the coherence of the whole set.

Skeptical regress: The skeptical regress argues that all attempts to justify knowledge or beliefs ultimately fail, leading to an infinite regress or circularity.

Dialectical regress: In this type of regress, a claim is justified by showing that it is the only or best response to objections raised against it, leading to a regress of challenges and responses.

Contextualist regress: The contextualist regress holds that the justification for a belief depends on the context or circumstances in which it is held, leading to a regress of nested contexts.