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Single Idea 13406

[filed under theme 12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 9. A Priori from Concepts ]

Full Idea

I am a fully paid up-naturalist, but I see no reason to deny that a priori knowledge is possible. My view is that a priori knowledge is unimportant (esp to philosophy). If there is a priori knowledge, it is analytic, true by the structure of our concepts.

Gist of Idea

A priori knowledge is analytic - the structure of our concepts - and hence unimportant

Source

David Papineau (Philosophical Insignificance of A Priori Knowledge [2010], §1)

A Reaction

It is one thing to say it is the structure of our concepts, and another to infer that it is unimportant. I take the structure of our concepts to be a shadow cast by the structure of the world. E.g. the structure of numbers reveals the world.

The 15 ideas with the same theme [a priori knowledge only arises from our concepts]:

1824 To name something, you must already have an idea of what it is [Epicurus, by Diog. Laertius]
2191 Relations of ideas are known by thought, independently from the world [Hume]
18262 For Kant analytic knowledge needs complex concepts, but the a priori can rest on the simple [Coffa on Kant]
5526 With large numbers it is obvious that we could never find the sum by analysing the concepts [Kant]
16915 A priori intuitions can only concern the objects of our senses [Kant]
4430 All a priori knowledge deals with the relations of universals [Russell]
5411 We can know some general propositions by universals, when no instance can be given [Russell]
9353 We explain away a priori knowledge, not as directly empirical, but as indirectly holistically empirical [Devitt]
13406 A priori knowledge is analytic - the structure of our concepts - and hence unimportant [Papineau]
12389 Knowledge is a priori if the experience giving you the concepts thus gives you the knowledge [Kitcher]
9341 Meanings and concepts cannot give a priori knowledge, because they may be unacceptable [Horwich]
9334 If we stipulate the meaning of 'number' to make Hume's Principle true, we first need Hume's Principle [Horwich]
2727 Red and green being exclusive colours seems to be rationally graspable but not analytic [Audi,R]
2728 The concepts needed for a priori thought may come from experience [Audi,R]
17726 Examining accurate, justified or grounded concepts brings understanding of the world [Jenkins]