Knowledge

Over the last few months, I have come to detest the Platonic definition of knowledge. This is the definition which claims that knowledge is justified, true belief (JTB). Why the strong dislike and distaste for it?

I am tired of reading this silly definition over and over again, literally hundreds of times, regurgitated by people who don't know any Plato except this, and could not be bothered to find out. In fact, I am certain that many of these people, defining knowledge as JTB, don't know enough to justify the definition. Hence the definition, by its own essence, is not knowledge as far as its users are concerned. In fact, I would go so far as to claim that it cannot possibly be a correct definition.

I think there are a few simple places to start assessing my claim. Firstly, do a Google search on 'define: knowledge'. This is where you should end up. Secondly, read this Wikipedia article. It might not be the Encyclopaedia Britannica, but it is a good place to start.

Let's up the stakes. Suppose that I begin to persecute people who use the JTB definition without showing me that the definition itself is JTB. This will lead to great suffering. Does anyone think this is a bad idea? Or have we strayed from epistemology into moral philosophy at this point? Heh.