The Epistemology of Testimony: How Can We Rely on What Others Tell Us? | Dr Jurgen Gatt
Tue, 29 Sept
|Valletta Design Cluster
We rely on others for much of what we know—but when should we trust them? This talk examines how trust operates in everyday life, from legal testimony and medical encounters to the surprising case of artificial intelligence.
Time & Location
29 Sept 2026, 18:30 – 20:00
Valletta Design Cluster, 25 Bull Street, Il-Belt Valletta VLT 1570, Malta
Guests
About the event
What is this Talk about?
The talk will explore how we come to know things through what others tell us—what philosophers refer to as the ‘epistemology of testimony’ - from its classical roots to its modern relevance in areas such as law, medicine, and artificial intelligence.
It will begin by outlining the main ways philosophers have understood knowledge gained from testimony. In particular, it will look at a long-standing debate between two approaches associated with David Hume and Thomas Reid. One view argues that we should only accept what others tell us if we have independent reasons or evidence to trust it. The other view suggests that, in general, we are justified in accepting what people say unless we have reasons to doubt them.
The talk will then place these ideas in a broader perspective that looks at how knowledge is shaped by social factors. This includes how trust is…