Internalism vs. Externalism

Internalism and externalism are two perspectives on how we acquire and justify knowledge. Internalism argues that all the factors needed to justify our beliefs must be accessible to our own minds; we must be aware of our reasons for believing something. In contrast, externalism suggests that knowledge can depend on factors outside of our awareness, such as the reliability of the sources or processes that led to our beliefs. Essentially, internalism focuses on personal justification, while externalism emphasizes the role of external conditions in validating what we know.