Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Theory of Science (4 vols)', 'Apriority as an Evaluative Notion' and 'Material Beings'

unexpand these ideas     |    start again     |     choose another area for these texts

display all the ideas for this combination of texts

---

3 ideas

12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 6. A Priori from Reason

9160	Lots of propositions are default reasonable, but the a priori ones are empirically indefeasible [Field,H]
	Full Idea: Propositions such as 'People usually tell the truth' seem to count as default reasonable, but it is odd to count them as a priori. Empirical indefeasibility seems the obvious way to distinguish those default reasonable propositions that are a priori.
	From: Hartry Field (Apriority as an Evaluative Notion [2000], 1)
	A reaction: Sounds reasonable, but it would mean that all the uniformities of nature would then count as a priori. 'Every physical object exerts gravity' probably has no counterexamples, but doesn't seem a priori (even if it is necessary). See Idea 9164.

12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 7. A Priori from Convention

9164	We treat basic rules as if they were indefeasible and a priori, with no interest in counter-evidence [Field,H]
	Full Idea: I argue not that our most basic rules are a priori or empirically indefeasible, but that we treat them as empirically defeasible and indeed a priori; we don't regard anything as evidence against them.
	From: Hartry Field (Apriority as an Evaluative Notion [2000], 4)
	A reaction: This is the fictionalist view of a priori knowledge (and of most other things, such as mathematics). I can't agree. Most people treat heaps of a posteriori truths (like the sun rising) as a priori. 'Mass involves energy' is indefeasible a posteriori.

12. Knowledge Sources / E. Direct Knowledge / 2. Intuition

9185	Bolzano wanted to avoid Kantian intuitions, and prove everything that could be proved [Bolzano, by Dummett]
	Full Idea: Bolzano was determined to expel Kantian intuition from analysis, and to prove from first principles anything that could be proved, no matter how obvious it might seem when thought of in geometrical terms.
	From: report of Bernard Bolzano (Theory of Science (Wissenschaftslehre, 4 vols) [1837]) by Michael Dummett - The Philosophy of Mathematics 2.3
	A reaction: This is characteristic of the Enlightenment Project, well after the Enlightenment. It is a step towards Frege's attack on 'psychologism' in mathematics. The problem is that it led us into a spurious platonism. We live in troubled times.