iPedia Free Information Center

Information about William Alston

For the politician, see William J. Alston
William P. Alston (born 1921) is professor emeritus at Syracuse University, and has made influential contributions to the philosophy of language, epistemology and Christian philosophy. He earned his PhD from the University of Chicago and taught for many years at the University of Michigan. His views on foundationalism, internalism versus externalism and speech acts, among many other topics, have been very influential. Alston has also done important work in metaphysics, history of philosophy and other fields. Alston is counted among the analytic philosophers.

Together with other philosophers (Alvin Plantinga, Nicholas Wolterstorff, Richard Mouw) Alston was involved in setting up the philosophy journal Faith and philosophy and the Society of Christian Philosophers. Alston is a past president of the American Philosophical Association and was one of the core figures in the late 20th century revival of the philosophy of religion.

External links

Further reading

  • Alston, William P., Beyond "Justification": Dimensions Of Epistemic Evaluation,Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2005
  • Alston, William P., Illocutionary Acts and Sentence Meaning, Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2000
  • Alston, William P., A Realist Conception of Truth, Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1996
  • Alston, William P., Epistemic Justification: Essays in the Theory of Knowledge, Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1996
  • Alston, William P., The Reliability of Sense Perception, Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1993
  • Alston, William P., Perceiving God: The Epistemology of Religious Experience, Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1991
  • Alston, William P., Philosophy of Language, Englewood Cliffs, Prentice Hall, 1964
See also William Alston
William Jeffreys Alston (December 31, 1800 - June 10, 1876) was a United States Representative from Alabama. Born in Milledgeville, Georgia, he attended a private school in South Carolina.
..... Click the link for more information.
Syracuse University (SU) is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States the geographic center of the state, about 250 miles northwest of New York City.
..... Click the link for more information.
Philosophy of language is the reasoned inquiry into the nature, origins, and usage of language. As a topic, the philosophy of language for Analytic Philosophers is concerned with four central problems: the nature of meaning, language use, language cognition, and the relationship
..... Click the link for more information.
Epistemology or theory of knowledge is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature, methods, limitations, and validity of knowledge and belief.

The term "epistemology" is based on the Greek words "
..... Click the link for more information.
The University of Chicago is a private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. Founded in 1890 by the American Baptist Education Society and the oil magnate John D. Rockefeller, the University of Chicago held its first classes on October 1, 1892.
..... Click the link for more information.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (U of M, UM or simply Michigan) is a coeducational public research university in the state of Michigan. The university was founded in 1817 in Detroit, about 20 years before the territory of Michigan officially became a state,
..... Click the link for more information.
Foundationalism is any theory in epistemology (typically, theories of justification, but also of knowledge) that holds that beliefs are justified (known, etc.) based on what are called basic beliefs (also commonly called foundational beliefs).
..... Click the link for more information.
Internalism and externalism are now part of the standard jargon of philosophical discourse, and are central to important debates. The distinction crops up in many areas with similar but distinct meanings.
..... Click the link for more information.
Illocutionary act is a technical term introduced by John L. Austin in investigations concerning what he calls 'performative' and 'constative utterances'. According to Austin's original exposition in How to Do Things With Words
..... Click the link for more information.
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that investigates principles of reality transcending those of any particular science, traditionally including cosmology and ontology. It is also concerned with explaining the ultimate nature of being and the world.
..... Click the link for more information.
The history of philosophy is the study of philosophical ideas and concepts through time. Issues specifically related to history of philosophy might include (but are not limited to): How can changes in philosophy be accounted for historically? What drives the development of thought
..... Click the link for more information.
Analytic philosophy (sometimes, analytical philosophy) is a generic term for a style of philosophy that came to dominate English-speaking countries in the 20th century.
..... Click the link for more information.
Alvin Carl Plantinga (born 15 November, 1932 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA) is a contemporary American philosopher of Frisian ancestry known for his work in epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of religion and tentative support of intelligent design. His current position is John A.
..... Click the link for more information.
Nicholas Wolterstorff (born January 21, 1932 in Bigelow, Minnesota) is the Noah Porter Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology, and Fellow of Berkeley College at Yale University.
..... Click the link for more information.
Richard J. Mouw is currently President at Fuller Theological Seminary. He also holds the post of Professor of Christian Philosophy.

Education and Career

Mouw was educated at Houghton College from which he received the B.A. degree. He then studied for the M.
..... Click the link for more information.
The American Philosophical Association is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States. Founded in 1900, its mission is to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarly activity in philosophy, to facilitate the
..... Click the link for more information.


This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
Herod_Archelaus


page counter