more from this thinker     |     more from this text

---

Single Idea 3802

[filed under theme 10. Modality / D. Knowledge of Modality / 4. Conceivable as Possible / c. Possible but inconceivable ]

Full Idea

You say you cannot imagine that p, and therefore declare that p is impossible. Mightn't that be hubris?

Gist of Idea

Why pronounce impossible what you cannot imagine?

Source

Daniel C. Dennett (Elbow Room: varieties of free will [1984], §7.3)

Book Ref

Dennett,Daniel C.: 'Elbow Room - Free will worth wanting' [MIT 1999], p.170

---

The 6 ideas with the same theme [possibe despite not being conceivable]:

14039

Above and below us will never appear to be the same, because it is inconceivable [Epicurus]

13172

What we cannot imagine may still exist [Leibniz]

3802	Why pronounce impossible what you cannot imagine? [Dennett]

3903	The conceivable can't be a test of the possible, if there are things which are possible but inconceivable [Scruton]

17958

The apparently metaphysically possible may only be epistemically possible [Vetter]

19268

Inconceivability (implying impossibility) may be failure to conceive, or incoherence [Vaidya]