On being in a position to know
The notion of being in a position to know contrasts with that of knowledge, and yet, both notions are intimately related. Just as one can only know what is true, one can only be in a position to know what is true. To the extent that knowledge requires safe belief, being in a position to know implies being in a position to safely believe. For any p, if one knows p, one is in a position to know p, whereas the converse does not hold. Doing the best that one is in a position to do to decide a given question may be less than doing everything that one is in a position to do to decide that question, because one cannot do every such thing at once. If one is in a position to know p, one has the opportunity to come to know p upon doing the best that one is in a position to do to decide whether p holds. It is explained what this opportunity involves and what is involved in seizing it.