True Justified Beliefs

A true justified belief, on account of knowledge, is one that is irrefutable. Or so we were lead to believe prior to knowing and understanding Gettier's "problem", that is, the one with this whole idea. If we intend to seek knowledge, we must first and foremost lay down the ground work for how we are going to attain that said knowledge. That is to say, what are the characteristics that determine that something is in fact, knowledge? Beliefs, truth, and justification all play major roles in clarifying what is and is not knowledge. According to Descartes, we can not know anything we can doubt. Unfortunately, Gettier does not agree with Descartes, and believes there needs to be some minor adjustments to the aforementioned definition of knowledge.

What is a belief? A belief is one of the foundations for this knowledge. A belief is entirely propositional. A proposition is an abstract unit expressed in ordinary language. An example of a proposition is, "It is snowing." It may or may not be snowing, but I may believe that it is snowing. Thusly, I would then put on my snow boots and head outside. This is due to my belief. However, if I watch the morning weather, and I see that it is snowing, then my belief has more justification. So what is justification? Justification is reason beyond any doubt, at least according to Descartes. Knowledge is based on these principles: it has to be true, it has to be justified, and it has to be a belief. If I claim to know something, it thusly has to be true and justified in order for me to really claim I know it. So my justification for the claim that it is snowing outside, has to be that I go outside and experience the snow firsthand. That does not limit all justification to experience, however. There are some things that are justified simply by definition, or by words. An example of this is the composition of carbon dioxide. I have never seen the molecules in carbon dioxide, however, I have been told what they are by others, and believe them to know more about it than I do, and thusly I believe that is it true.

That brings us to the Gettier problem. Gettier, it seems, does not concur with the idea that you have to have justification beyond any doubt for something to be known. An example of the Gettier case would be the following. Melinda owns a Cavalier. As long as I have known her, she has driven the same Cavalier, so it is safe to assume that she owns one. Now, let us say my friend