Single Idea 9225

[catalogued under 12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 5. A Priori Synthetic]

Full Idea

Hegel is reputed to have claimed to have deduced on a priori grounds that the number of planets is exactly five.

Gist of Idea

Hegel reputedly claimed to know a priori that there are five planets

Source

report of Georg W.F.Hegel (works [1812]) by Hartry Field - Recent Debates on the A Priori 1

Book Reference

'Oxford Studies in Epistemology Vol. 1', ed/tr. Gendler,R/Hawthorne,J [OUP 2004], p.69


A Reaction

Even if this is a wicked travesty of Hegel, it will do nicely to represent the extremes of claims to a priori synthetic knowledge. Field doesn't offer any evidence. I would love it to be true.