Externalism and Internalism

Externalism and internalism are two perspectives on how we acquire knowledge. Externalism suggests that factors outside a person's immediate awareness or reasoning—like the reliability of the sources of information—can justify our knowledge. In contrast, internalism argues that all justification for knowledge must come from within the individual's mental states, such as beliefs and evidence accessible to them. Essentially, externalism looks at how external conditions contribute to knowing, while internalism focuses on a person's internal reasoning and justification processes.