Can Inconsistency be Reasonable?

Abstract

We cannot know something unless it is true. The things that we know, therefore, must be logically consistent. Moreover, we cannot know something unless we are justified in believing it. But it does not obviously follow that the things that we are justified in believing must be consistent with each other. For we can be justified in believing something that turns out to be false. Knowledge entails truth and hence consistency. Rationally justified belief does not entail truth and it may not entail consistency.Knowledge, however, requires especially good justification. We can have reason to believe something that happens to be true, even good reason (say, strong circumstantial evidence linking a suspect to a crime), without our belief being so well-grounded that we know it to be true.