A Defence of the Sensitivity Analysis of Knowledge

Abstract

It is widely considered that Nozick’s sensitivity analysis of knowledge fails. This is largely due to arguments proposed by Sosa. In this paper, I defend Nozick’s sensitivity condition on knowledge. To do this, I define and motivate sensitivity, then explain Sosa’s definition of safety and its supposed advantages. For all three of Sosa’s purported counterexamples, we will find that the sensitivity theorist can offer responses that are more satisfactory than those available to the proponent of Sosa’s safety theory. Having motivated sensitivity and shown that it deals with these purported counterexamples better than safety, I will conclude that Sosa fails to motivate a move from sensitivity to safety.