coherentism
Description
Coherentism is a theory of epistemic justification. It implies that for a belief to be justified it must belong to a coherent system of beliefs. For a system of beliefs to be coherent, the beliefs that make up that system must “cohere” with one another. Typically, this coherence is taken to involve three components: logical consistency, explanatory relations, and various inductive (non-explanatory) relations.
Source: https://iep.utm.edu/coherentism-in-epistemology/
It attempts to address the epistemic problem of circular argument. Coherentism in epistemology posits that the core belief may support a belief that in turn supports itself the core belief. The issue with coherentism then, occurs when subjected to external world stimuli and how that might influence or alter the circular nature of coherentism.
As an illustration of the principle, if people lived in a virtual reality universe, they could see birds in the trees that aren't really there. Not only are the birds not really there, but the trees aren't really there either. The people may or may not know that the bird and the tree are there, but in either case there is a coherence between the virtual world and the real one, expressed in terms of true beliefs within available experience. (Wikipedia, 2026)
Examples: The Weather
You believe “It will rain today.”
This belief is justified because it coheres with:
- The weather forecast you trust
- Dark clouds you see
- High humidity you feel
- Past experience with similar conditions
👉 A coherentist says: the belief is justified because the system hangs together well.
No single belief is foundational; instead, justification comes from mutual reinforcement among beliefs.
Example: Interpreting a person’s intentions
You believe “She was being sarcastic.”
This coheres with:
- Tone of voice
- Facial expression
- Context of the conversation
- Your background knowledge of her behavior
No single cue is decisive, but together they form a coherent interpretation.
OpenAI, 2026