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Single Idea 14466

[filed under theme 12. Knowledge Sources / E. Direct Knowledge / 1. Common Sense ]

Full Idea

Showing how, reflectively, we can make sense of our unreflective common sense worldview is arguably one of the chief tasks of philosophy.

Gist of Idea

A chief task of philosophy is making reflective sense of our common sense worldview

Source

Amie L. Thomasson (Ordinary Objects [2007], Intro)

Book Ref

Thomasson,Amie L.: 'Ordinary Objects' [OUP 2010], p.3


A Reaction

Maybe. The obvious problem is that when you look at weird and remote cultures like the Aztecs, what counts as 'common sense' might be a bit different. She is talking of ordinary objects, though, where her point is reasonable.


The 21 ideas from Amie L. Thomasson

It is analytic that if simples are arranged chair-wise, then there is a chair [Thomasson, by Hofweber]
Ordinary objects are rejected, to avoid contradictions, or for greater economy in thought [Thomasson]
A chief task of philosophy is making reflective sense of our common sense worldview [Thomasson]
Analytical entailments arise from combinations of meanings and inference rules [Thomasson]
How can causal theories of reference handle nonexistence claims? [Thomasson]
Pure causal theories of reference have the 'qua problem', of what sort of things is being referred to [Thomasson]
Identity claims between objects are only well-formed if the categories are specified [Thomasson]
Identical entities must be of the same category, and meet the criteria for the category [Thomasson]
Modal Conventionalism says modality is analytic, not intrinsic to the world, and linguistic [Thomasson]
To individuate people we need conventions, but conventions are made up by people [Thomasson]
Maybe analytic truths do not require truth-makers, as they place no demands on the world [Thomasson]
Wherever an object exists, there are intrinsic properties instantiating every modal profile [Thomasson]
If the statue and the lump are two objects, they require separate properties, so we could add their masses [Thomasson]
Given the similarity of statue and lump, what could possibly ground their modal properties? [Thomasson]
Ordinary objects may be not indispensable, but they are nearly unavoidable [Thomasson]
The simple existence conditions for objects are established by our practices, and are met [Thomasson]
Eliminativists haven't found existence conditions for chairs, beyond those of the word 'chair' [Thomasson]
Analyticity is revealed through redundancy, as in 'He bought a house and a building' [Thomasson]
Theories do not avoid commitment to entities by avoiding certain terms or concepts [Thomasson]
Rival ontological claims can both be true, if there are analytic relationships between them [Thomasson]
Existence might require playing a role in explanation, or in a causal story, or being composed in some way [Thomasson]