Single Idea 6081

[catalogued under 12. Knowledge Sources / D. Empiricism / 5. Empiricism Critique]

Full Idea

It is clear that modality is a prima-facie threat to the usual kind of naturalistic-causal-empiricist theory of knowledge.

Gist of Idea

Necessity and possibility are big threats to the empiricist view of knowledge

Source

Colin McGinn (Logical Properties [2000], Ch.4)

Book Reference

McGinn,Colin: 'Logical Properties' [OUP 2003], p.84


A Reaction

This is why modern empiricists spend of a lot of energy on trying to analyse counterfactuals and laws of nature. Rationalists are much happier to assert necessities a priori, but then they often don't have much basis for their claims.