The Problem of Criterion: Challenges and Solutions

It has always been a challenge to epistemology to determine a criterion for distinguishing true from false, and knowledge from pseudo-knowledge. Some philosophers have tried to elaborate such a criterion, and still others have chosen one of the alternatives, i.e. skepticism or relativism.The author in this article examines three main questions in this regard: whether or not there is a criterion, or criteria, for evaluating knowledge claims? If yes, what are they? And how can we determine them? Relativists and skepticists deny any absolute criterion for measuring the value of a truth claim. There are, on the other hand, philosophers who take relativism and skepticism to be irrational, and believe in certain criteria for determining the truth. When it comes to the question of how to find out about them, the author takes sides with particularists against methodists. According to Islamic Philosophy, he concludes, there is no room for skepticism even if one cannot explain how we can discover such criteria.