 The main motivation for phenomenal conservatism is straightforward. As already noted, the view is far more “permissive” than classical foundationalism in allowing for more extensive foundational justification. For example, I believe that there is a cat on my lap, that I had fish for dinner last night, that I feel thirsty, that I am thinking about getting a glass of water, that pleasure is good, and that 2 + 3 = 5. Prima facie, it is plausible to say that I believe these propositions because they seem or appear to be true—because it seems to me that there is a cat on my lap, that I had fish last night, and so on. If I do indeed believe these things on the basis of these seemings or appearances, and they constitute an adequate source of justification, then, in the absence of defeaters, I have justification for these beliefs. And if we deny that they are good sources of justification, then how do we avoid skepticism? As Huemer puts it, “if undefeated appearances are not a source of justified belief, then how is one to avoid skepticism about the external world, the past, values, abstract objects, and so on? Unless this challenge can be met, we would be wise to place our trust in the appearances….” (2013, p. 349). 