Combining Philosophers

All the ideas for Lynch,MP/Glasgow,JM, Michael Devitt and Clive Bell

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37 ideas

7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 3. Levels of Reality
A necessary relation between fact-levels seems to be a further irreducible fact [Lynch/Glasgow]
7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 5. Supervenience / c. Significance of supervenience
If some facts 'logically supervene' on some others, they just redescribe them, adding nothing [Lynch/Glasgow]
7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 6. Physicalism
Nonreductive materialism says upper 'levels' depend on lower, but don't 'reduce' [Lynch/Glasgow]
The hallmark of physicalism is that each causal power has a base causal power under it [Lynch/Glasgow]
8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 1. Universals
Realism doesn't explain 'a is F' any further by saying it is 'a has F-ness' [Devitt]
8. Modes of Existence / E. Nominalism / 1. Nominalism / b. Nominalism about universals
The particular/universal distinction is unhelpful clutter; we should accept 'a is F' as basic [Devitt]
8. Modes of Existence / E. Nominalism / 1. Nominalism / c. Nominalism about abstracta
Quineans take predication about objects as basic, not reference to properties they may have [Devitt]
9. Objects / D. Essence of Objects / 10. Essence as Species
Essentialism concerns the nature of a group, not its category [Devitt]
Things that gradually change, like species, can still have essences [Devitt]
12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 4. A Priori as Necessities
Why should necessities only be knowable a priori? That Hesperus is Phosporus is known empirically [Devitt]
How could the mind have a link to the necessary character of reality? [Devitt]
12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 9. A Priori from Concepts
We explain away a priori knowledge, not as directly empirical, but as indirectly holistically empirical [Devitt]
12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 11. Denying the A Priori
The idea of the a priori is so obscure that it won't explain anything [Devitt]
Some knowledge must be empirical; naturalism implies that all knowledge is like that [Devitt]
21. Aesthetics / A. Aesthetic Experience / 2. Aesthetic Attitude
Good art produces exaltation and detachment [Bell,C]
21. Aesthetics / A. Aesthetic Experience / 4. Beauty
The word 'beauty' leads to confusion, because it denotes distinct emotions [Bell,C]
21. Aesthetics / A. Aesthetic Experience / 5. Natural Beauty
Our feeling for natural beauty is different from the aesthetic emotion of art [Bell,C]
We only see landscapes as artistic if we ignore their instrumental value [Bell,C]
21. Aesthetics / A. Aesthetic Experience / 6. The Sublime
Visual form can create a sublime mental state [Bell,C]
21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 1. Defining Art
Art is the expression of an emotion for ultimate reality [Bell,C]
Aestheticism invites artist to create beauty, but with no indication of how to do it [Bell,C]
21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 2. Art as Form
Only artists can discern significant form; other people must look to art to find it [Bell,C, by Gardner]
Maybe significant form gives us a feeling for ultimate reality [Bell,C]
Significant form is the essence of art, which I believe expresses an emotion about reality [Bell,C]
'Form' is visual relations, and it is 'significant' if it moves us aesthetically; art needs both [Bell,C, by Feagin]
21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 4. Art as Expression
The only expression art could have is the emotion resulting from pure form [Bell,C]
21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 2. Copies of Art
Mere copies of pictures are not significant - unless the copies are very exact [Bell,C]
21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 4. Emotion in Art
Art is distinguished by its aesthetic emotion, which produces appropriate form [Bell,C]
21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 6. Value of Art
Aesthetic contemplation is the best and most intense mental state [Bell,C]
Aesthetic experience is an exaltation which increases the possibilities of life [Bell,C]
21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 7. Art and Morality
Only artistic qualities matter in art, because they also have the highest moral value [Bell,C]
26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 1. Natural Kinds
Some kinds are very explanatory, but others less so, and some not at all [Devitt]
27. Natural Reality / G. Biology / 5. Species
We name species as small to share properties, but large enough to yield generalisations [Devitt]
Species are phenetic, biological, niche, or phylogenetic-cladistic [Devitt, by PG]
The higher categories are not natural kinds, so the Linnaean hierarchy should be given up [Devitt]
Species pluralism says there are several good accounts of what a species is [Devitt]
29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 1. Religious Commitment / a. Religious Belief
Religion sees infinite value in some things, and irrelevance in the rest [Bell,C]