Combining Philosophers

Ideas for Herodotus, Albert of Saxony and Aristotle

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5 ideas

12. Knowledge Sources / E. Direct Knowledge / 1. Common Sense
It is enough if we refute the objections and leave common opinions undisturbed [Aristotle]
     Full Idea: If we both refute the objections and leave the common opinions undisturbed, we shall have proved the case sufficiently.
     From: Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics [c.334 BCE], 1145b05), quoted by Stephen Boulter - Why Medieval Philosophy Matters 3
     A reaction: This quotation is a sacred text for philosophers who place a high value on the consensus of thinking among the majority of people. I hate it when philosophers hijack an ordinary word and assign it a different meaning.
If everyone believes it, it is true [Aristotle]
     Full Idea: What everyone believes is so.
     From: Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics [c.334 BCE], 1173a01)
     A reaction: Would you think me terribly unfashionable if I agreed with this? Huge numbers of people can be wrong, but if 'everyone' believes something it seems crazy to go against it.
12. Knowledge Sources / E. Direct Knowledge / 2. Intuition
Intuition grasps the definitions that can't be proved [Aristotle]
     Full Idea: Intuition apprehends the definitions which cannot be logically demonstrated.
     From: Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics [c.334 BCE], 1142a25)
     A reaction: Nice to see that (like me) he has a positive view of intuition. I'm not sure how you would 'prove' a definition of the hidden nature of a thing (which is usually taken to be hidden).
Aristotle wants to fit common intuitions, and therefore uses language as a guide [Aristotle, by Gill,ML]
     Full Idea: Since Aristotle generally prefers a metaphysical theory that accords with common intuitions, he frequently relies on facts about language to guide his metaphysical claims.
     From: report of Aristotle (works [c.330 BCE]) by Mary Louise Gill - Aristotle on Substance Ch.5
     A reaction: I approve of his procedure. I take intuition to be largely rational justifications too complex for us to enunciate fully, and language embodies folk intuitions in its concepts (especially if the concepts occur in many languages).
12. Knowledge Sources / E. Direct Knowledge / 4. Memory
Many memories of the same item form a single experience [Aristotle]
     Full Idea: When it occurs often in connection with the same item, ..memories which are many in number form a single experience.
     From: Aristotle (Posterior Analytics [c.327 BCE], 100a05)
     A reaction: This is Aristotle at his most empirical. He is not describing an operation of the understanding, but a process of association. The process he alludes to is at the heart of the abstractionist view of concept-formation.