Spitballing about Foundationalism

Let's discuss one of the Central Issues in Philosophy

Steven

4/12/20251 min read

a wooden chair with a flower arrangement on it
a wooden chair with a flower arrangement on it

What is this talk about Foundationalism? I am not wanting to leave any question unexamined. The foundation of a house is usually a solid beginning. In my area it would be made of concrete. The wooden house would be built on top. The plumbing would be dug and placed at about the same time. Foundationalism in philosophy relies on this understanding of the foundation of a house and the building of the walls and roof and all its details upon it. If the foundation is built on sand, or unstable ground, the structure would inevitably be unstable.

I hear that philosophers worry about knowledge and its foundations. There's often some mention of turtles and the difficulties philosophers have had in understanding just how we have knowledge instead of, perhaps, strongly held beliefs.

I have thought philosophers should be worried about the foundations of the whole subject matter of philosophy. Focusing primarily or exclusively about knowledge may be confusing us. Is our understanding of knowledge at the bottom of all our thinking about philosophy? Maybe some philosophers have thought so. But then, if our understanding of knowledge has been stopped by our inability to have any resolution on the problem of knowledge's foundations, then all progress in philosophy has stopped.

This blog will be a chance for me to rethink all these questions.