Combining Philosophers

All the ideas for Iris Marion Young, Danielle Macbeth and Jennifer Hornsby

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6 ideas

3. Truth / E. Pragmatic Truth / 1. Pragmatic Truth

19086	Does the pragmatic theory of meaning support objective truth, or make it impossible? [Macbeth]
	Full Idea: Peirce and Sellars takes Peirce's conception of meaning, on which pragmatism is founded, to support an adequate account of objective truth; James, Dewey and Rorty say it forecloses all possibility of such an account.
	From: Danielle Macbeth (Pragmatism and Objective Truth [2007], p.169)
	A reaction: Ah. Very helpful. I thought there was a pragmatic theory of truth, then began to think that it was just a denial of truth. I've long suspected that Peirce is wonderful, and James is not very good (on this topic).

6. Mathematics / B. Foundations for Mathematics / 5. Definitions of Number / b. Greek arithmetic

19093	Greek mathematics is wholly sensory, where ours is wholly inferential [Macbeth]
	Full Idea: Ancient mathematical concepts were essentially sensory; they were not mathematical in our sense - that is, wholly constituted by their inferential potential.
	From: Danielle Macbeth (Pragmatism and Objective Truth [2007], p.187)
	A reaction: The latter view is Frege's, though I suppose it had been emerging for a couple of centuries before him. I like the Greek approach, and would love to see that reunited with the supposedly quite different modern view. (Keith Hossack is attempting it).

14. Science / B. Scientific Theories / 1. Scientific Theory

19091	Seeing reality mathematically makes it an object of thought, not of experience [Macbeth]
	Full Idea: As mathematically understood, the world is not an object of experience but instead an object of thought.
	From: Danielle Macbeth (Pragmatism and Objective Truth [2007], p.183)
	A reaction: Since I am keen on citing biology to show that science does not have to be mathematical, this nicely shows that there is something wrong with a science which places a large gap between itself and the world.

18. Thought / D. Concepts / 1. Concepts / a. Nature of concepts

19088	For pragmatists a concept means its consequences [Macbeth]
	Full Idea: In the pragmatist view, the meaning of a concept is exhausted by its consequences.
	From: Danielle Macbeth (Pragmatism and Objective Truth [2007], p.173)
	A reaction: I'm unclear why the concept of a volcanic eruption only concerns its dire consequences, and is supposed to contain nothing of its causes. Pragmatists seem to be all future, and no past. Very American.

20. Action / A. Definition of Action / 5. Action as Trying

20082	Bodily movements are not actions, which are really the tryings within bodily movement [Hornsby, by Stout,R]
	Full Idea: Hornsby claims the basic description of action is in terms of trying, that all actions (even means of doing other actions) are actions of trying, and that tryings (and therefore actions) are interior to bodily movements (which are thus not essential).
	From: report of Jennifer Hornsby (Actions [1980]) by Rowland Stout - Action 9 'Trying'
	A reaction: [compression of his summary] There is no regress with explaining the 'action' of trying, because it is proposed that trying is the most basic thing in all actions. If you are paralysed, your trying does not result in action. Too mentalistic?

24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 12. Feminism

20751	As a young girl assumes her status as feminine, she acts in a more fragile immobile way [Young,IM]
	Full Idea: The young girl acquires many subject habits of feminine body comportment - walking, tilting her head, standing and sitting like a girl, and so on ….The more a girl assumes her status as feminine, the more she takes herself to be fragile and immobile.
	From: Iris Marion Young (On Female Body Experience [2005], p.43), quoted by Kevin Aho - Existentialism: an introduction 3 'Aspects'
	A reaction: This strikes me as true of young women, but it largely wears off as they get older, at least among modern women. A whole book could be written about women and smiling.