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Single Idea 3588
[filed under theme 19. Language / A. Nature of Meaning / 7. Meaning Holism / a. Sentence meaning
]
Full Idea
In the foundationalist picture the meaning of individual words (defined ostensively) is primary, and that of sentences is derivative. For coherentists sentences come first, with meaning understood functionally or inferentially.
Gist of Idea
Foundationalists base meaning in words, coherentists base it in sentences
Source
Michael Williams (Problems of Knowledge [2001], Ch.10)
Book Ref
Williams,Michael: 'Problems of Knowledge' [OUP 2001], p.124
A Reaction
Coherentism about language doesn't imply coherentism about justification. On language I vote for foundationalism, because I am impressed by the phenomenon of compositionality.
The
34 ideas
from Michael Williams
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8849
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Traditional foundationalism is radically internalist
[Williams,M]
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8851
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Coherentists say that regress problems are assuming 'linear' justification
[Williams,M]
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8852
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In the context of scepticism, externalism does not seem to be an option
[Williams,M]
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8853
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Basic judgements are immune from error because they have no content
[Williams,M]
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8855
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Sensory experience may be fixed, but it can still be misdescribed
[Williams,M]
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3565
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Sometimes I ought to distrust sources which are actually reliable
[Williams,M]
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3564
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Is it people who are justified, or propositions?
[Williams,M]
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3566
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We control our beliefs by virtue of how we enquire
[Williams,M]
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3574
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Externalism ignores the social aspect of knowledge
[Williams,M]
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3567
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How could there be causal relations to mathematical facts?
[Williams,M]
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3573
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Externalist reliability refers to a range of conventional conditions
[Williams,M]
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3571
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Externalism does not require knowing that you know
[Williams,M]
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3569
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In the causal theory of knowledge the facts must cause the belief
[Williams,M]
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3575
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Scepticism can involve discrepancy, relativity, infinity, assumption and circularity
[Williams,M]
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3576
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Foundationalists are torn between adequacy and security
[Williams,M]
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3577
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Strong justification eliminates error, but also reduces our true beliefs
[Williams,M]
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3579
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Sense data avoid the danger of misrepresenting the world
[Williams,M]
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3578
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Are empirical foundations judgements or experiences?
[Williams,M]
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3580
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Experience must be meaningful to act as foundations
[Williams,M]
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3582
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Propositions make error possible, so basic experiential knowledge is impossible
[Williams,M]
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3581
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Sense data can't give us knowledge if they are non-propositional
[Williams,M]
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3587
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Seeing electrons in a cloud chamber requires theory
[Williams,M]
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3584
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Justification needs coherence, while truth might be ideal coherence
[Williams,M]
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3585
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Coherence needs positive links, not just absence of conflict
[Williams,M]
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3586
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Only a belief can justify a belief
[Williams,M]
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3588
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Foundationalists base meaning in words, coherentists base it in sentences
[Williams,M]
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3590
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Coherence theory must give a foundational status to coherence itself
[Williams,M]
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3589
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Why should diverse parts of our knowledge be connected?
[Williams,M]
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3591
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We could never pin down how many beliefs we have
[Williams,M]
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3593
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The only way to specify the corresponding fact is asserting the sentence
[Williams,M]
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3592
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Phenomenalism is a form of idealism
[Williams,M]
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3595
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What works always takes precedence over theories
[Williams,M]
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3594
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Scepticism just reveals our limited ability to explain things
[Williams,M]
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3599
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Deduction shows entailments, not what to believe
[Williams,M]
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