What is justificationism?

Justificationism is the idea that we need good reasons to believe things are true, like how you check your backpack before leaving for school.

Imagine you're playing a game with your friend, and they say, "I have 10 cookies in my pocket." You don’t just believe them because they said so, you ask to see the cookies or count them together. That’s justificationism in action: you want proof before you accept something.

Think of your favorite toy, maybe a robot that moves when you press its button. If it suddenly starts moving on its own, you might not believe it at first. You’d probably check if someone else pressed the button or if there’s a hidden switch. That's like how justificationism works: we need to make sure things are true by checking them out.

Sometimes, people believe things without checking, like when you think your robot is magical because it moves on its own. But if you just accept that without looking for a reason, that’s not justificationism. It’s more like guesswork!