115 ideas
3695 | Philosophy is a priori if it is anything [Bonjour] |
23657 | The existence of tensed verbs shows that not all truths are necessary truths [Reid] |
3651 | Perceiving necessary connections is the essence of reasoning [Bonjour] |
3700 | Coherence can't be validated by appeal to coherence [Bonjour] |
8893 | For any given area, there seem to be a huge number of possible coherent systems of beliefs [Bonjour] |
23655 | An ad hominem argument is good, if it is shown that the man's principles are inconsistent [Reid] |
4261 | The Lottery Paradox says each ticket is likely to lose, so there probably won't be a winner [Bonjour, by PG] |
21554 | Sets always exceed terms, so all the sets must exceed all the sets [Lackey] |
21553 | It seems that the ordinal number of all the ordinals must be bigger than itself [Lackey] |
23634 | Accepting the existence of anything presupposes the notion of existence [Reid] |
23664 | Powers are quite distinct and simple, and so cannot be defined [Reid] |
23669 | Thinkers say that matter has intrinsic powers, but is also passive and acted upon [Reid] |
23666 | It is obvious that there could not be a power without a subject which possesses it [Reid] |
23651 | Universals are not objects of sense and cannot be imagined - but can be conceived [Reid] |
23650 | Only individuals exist [Reid] |
23649 | No one thinks two sheets possess a single whiteness, but all agree they are both white [Reid] |
23647 | Objects have an essential constitution, producing its qualities, which we are too ignorant to define [Reid] |
1350 | Continuity is needed for existence, otherwise we would say a thing existed after it ceased to exist [Reid] |
21322 | We treat slowly changing things as identical for the sake of economy in language [Reid] |
21320 | Identity is familiar to common sense, but very hard to define [Reid] |
1367 | Identity can only be affirmed of things which have a continued existence [Reid] |
11874 | Real identity admits of no degrees [Reid] |
3697 | The concept of possibility is prior to that of necessity [Bonjour] |
11958 | Impossibilites are easily conceived in mathematics and geometry [Reid, by Molnar] |
8888 | The concept of knowledge is so confused that it is best avoided [Bonjour] |
23659 | If someone denies that he is thinking when he is conscious of it, we can only laugh [Reid] |
23662 | The existence of ideas is no more obvious than the existence of external objects [Reid] |
23661 | We are only aware of other beings through our senses; without that, we are alone in the universe [Reid] |
23635 | Truths are self-evident to sensible persons who understand them clearly without prejudice [Reid] |
8887 | It is hard to give the concept of 'self-evident' a clear and defensible characterization [Bonjour] |
7631 | Sensation is not committed to any external object, but perception is [Reid] |
23637 | Primary qualities are the object of mathematics [Reid] |
23638 | Secondary qualities conjure up, and are confused with, the sensations which produce them [Reid] |
23639 | It is unclear whether a toothache is in the mind or in the tooth, but the word has a single meaning [Reid] |
8897 | The adverbial account will still be needed when a mind apprehends its sense-data [Bonjour] |
3704 | Moderate rationalists believe in fallible a priori justification [Bonjour] |
3707 | Our rules of thought can only be judged by pure rational insight [Bonjour] |
6492 | Reid is seen as the main direct realist of the eighteenth century [Reid, by Robinson,H] |
23633 | Many truths seem obvious, and point to universal agreement - which is what we find [Reid] |
23654 | In obscure matters the few must lead the many, but the many usually lead in common sense [Reid] |
23643 | We all trust our distinct memories (but not our distinct imaginings) [Reid] |
23660 | The theory of ideas, popular with philosophers, means past existence has to be proved [Reid] |
23644 | Without memory we could have no concept of duration [Reid] |
23641 | People dislike believing without evidence, and try to avoid it [Reid] |
4255 | Externalist theories of knowledge are one species of foundationalism [Bonjour] |
4257 | The big problem for foundationalism is to explain how basic beliefs are possible [Bonjour] |
8896 | Conscious states have built-in awareness of content, so we know if a conceptual description of it is correct [Bonjour] |
3696 | A priori justification requires understanding but no experience [Bonjour] |
3703 | You can't explain away a priori justification as analyticity, and you can't totally give it up [Bonjour] |
3706 | A priori justification can vary in degree [Bonjour] |
4256 | The main argument for foundationalism is that all other theories involve a regress leading to scepticism [Bonjour] |
3699 | The induction problem blocks any attempted proof of physical statements [Bonjour] |
21506 | A coherence theory of justification can combine with a correspondence theory of truth [Bonjour] |
21509 | There will always be a vast number of equally coherent but rival systems [Bonjour] |
21503 | Empirical coherence must attribute reliability to spontaneous experience [Bonjour] |
23642 | If non-rational evidence reaches us, it is reason which then makes use of it [Reid] |
21511 | A well written novel cannot possibly match a real belief system for coherence [Bonjour] |
21510 | The objection that a negated system is equally coherent assume that coherence is consistency [Bonjour] |
21505 | A coherent system can be justified with initial beliefs lacking all credibility [Bonjour] |
21504 | The best explanation of coherent observations is they are caused by and correspond to reality [Bonjour] |
8891 | My incoherent beliefs about art should not undermine my very coherent beliefs about physics [Bonjour] |
8892 | Coherence seems to justify empirical beliefs about externals when there is no external input [Bonjour] |
8894 | Coherentists must give a reason why coherent justification is likely to lead to the truth [Bonjour] |
4258 | Extreme externalism says no more justification is required than the truth of the belief [Bonjour] |
3701 | Externalist theories of justification don't require believers to have reasons for their beliefs [Bonjour] |
8889 | Reliabilists disagree over whether some further requirement is needed to produce knowledge [Bonjour] |
4259 | External reliability is not enough, if the internal state of the believer is known to be irrational [Bonjour] |
8890 | If the reliable facts producing a belief are unknown to me, my belief is not rational or responsible [Bonjour] |
23549 | We treat testimony with a natural trade off of belief and caution [Reid, by Fricker,M] |
4260 | Even if there is no obvious irrationality, it may be irrational to base knowledge entirely on external criteria [Bonjour] |
3702 | Externalism means we have no reason to believe, which is strong scepticism [Bonjour] |
21508 | Anomalies challenge the claim that the basic explanations are actually basic [Bonjour] |
3709 | Induction must go beyond the evidence, in order to explain why the evidence occurred [Bonjour] |
1356 | A person is a unity, and doesn't come in degrees [Reid] |
23658 | Consciousness is an indefinable and unique operation [Reid] |
23665 | Consciousness is the power of mind to know itself, and minds are grounded in powers [Reid] |
8895 | If neither the first-level nor the second-level is itself conscious, there seems to be no consciousness present [Bonjour] |
1359 | Personal identity is the basis of all rights, obligations and responsibility [Reid] |
21319 | I can hardly care about rational consequence if it wasn't me conceiving the antecedent [Reid] |
21323 | The identity of a thief is only known by similarity, but memory gives certainty in our own case [Reid] |
21321 | Memory reveals my past identity - but so does testimony of other witnesses [Reid] |
21325 | Boy same as young man, young man same as old man, old man not boy, if forgotten! [Reid] |
21324 | If consciousness is transferable 20 persons can be 1; forgetting implies 1 can be 20 [Reid] |
21327 | If a stolen horse is identified by similitude, its identity is not therefore merely similitude [Reid] |
1366 | If consciousness is personal identity, it is continually changing [Reid] |
1352 | Thoughts change continually, but the self doesn't [Reid] |
23681 | The first motion or effect cannot be produced necessarily, so the First Cause must be a free agent [Reid] |
23676 | A willed action needs reasonable understanding of what is to be done [Reid] |
23668 | Our own nature attributes free determinations to our own will [Reid] |
23680 | We are morally free, because we experience it, we are accountable, and we pursue projects [Reid] |
23652 | We must first conceive things before we can consider them [Reid] |
23656 | The structure of languages reveals a uniformity in basic human opinions [Reid] |
3708 | All thought represents either properties or indexicals [Bonjour] |
23630 | Only philosophers treat ideas as objects [Reid] |
23648 | First we notice and name attributes ('abstracting'); then we notice that subjects share them ('generalising') [Reid] |
23653 | If you can't distinguish the features of a complex object, your notion of it would be a muddle [Reid] |
23640 | Only mature minds can distinguish the qualities of a body [Reid] |
23629 | The ambiguity of words impedes the advancement of knowledge [Reid] |
23646 | Reference is by name, or a term-plus-circumstance, or ostensively, or by description [Reid] |
23645 | A word's meaning is the thing conceived, as fixed by linguistic experts [Reid] |
3698 | Indeterminacy of translation is actually indeterminacy of meaning and belief [Bonjour] |
20051 | Reid said that agent causation is a unique type of causation [Reid, by Stout,R] |
23678 | A motive is merely an idea, like advice, and not a force for action [Reid] |
23663 | There are axioms of taste - such as a general consensus about a beautiful face [Reid] |
23674 | If an attempted poisoning results in benefits, we still judge the agent a poisoner [Reid] |
23675 | We shouldn't do to others what would be a wrong to us in similar circumstances [Reid] |
23672 | To be virtuous, we must care about duty [Reid] |
23673 | Every worthy man has a principle of honour, and knows what is honourable [Reid] |
23632 | Similar effects come from similar causes, and causes are only what are sufficient for the effects [Reid] |
8383 | Day and night are constantly conjoined, but they don't cause one another [Reid, by Crane] |
23677 | We all know that mere priority or constant conjunction do not have to imply causation [Reid] |
23667 | Regular events don't imply a cause, without an innate conviction of universal causation [Reid] |
23679 | The principle of the law of nature is that matter is passive, and is acted upon [Reid] |
23670 | Scientists don't know the cause of magnetism, and only discover its regulations [Reid] |
23671 | Laws are rules for effects, but these need a cause; rules of navigation don't navigate [Reid] |