Epistemic Externalism

Epistemic externalism is a view in the theory of knowledge that suggests factors outside an individual's mental processes can influence what counts as knowledge. This means that the context, environment, and social factors can play a critical role in determining whether someone truly knows something. For example, if a person relies on accurate information from a reliable source, even if they don’t fully understand it, externalism argues they can still be considered to have knowledge. In contrast, epistemic internalism focuses solely on the individual's inner beliefs and justifications for knowledge.