Editing Regress argument (epistemology) (section)

===Foundationalism===

Perhaps the chain begins with a belief that is justified, but which is not justified by another belief.  Such beliefs are called [[basic belief]]s.  In this solution, which is called [[foundationalism]], all beliefs are justified by basic beliefs. Foundationalism seeks to escape the regress argument by claiming that there are some beliefs for which it is improper to ask for a justification. (See also ''[[A priori and a posteriori|a priori]]''.)

Foundationalism is the belief that a chain of justification begins with a belief that is justified, but which is not justified by another belief.  Thus, a belief is justified [[if and only if]]:
# it is a basic/foundational belief, or 
# it is justified by a basic belief
# it is justified by a chain of beliefs that is ultimately justified by a basic belief or beliefs.

Foundationalism can be compared to a building.  Ordinary individual beliefs occupy the upper stories of the building; basic, or foundational beliefs are down in the basement, in the foundation of the building, holding everything else up.   In a similar way, individual beliefs, say about economics or ethics, rest on more basic beliefs, say about the nature of human beings; and those rest on still more basic beliefs, say about the mind; and in the end the entire system rests on a set of basic beliefs which are not justified by other beliefs.