Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Mahaprajnaparamitashastra', 'The Nature of Mathematical Knowledge' and 'Episteme and Logos in later Plato'

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

display all the ideas for this combination of texts

4 ideas

12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 1. Nature of the A Priori
12390 A priori knowledge comes from available a priori warrants that produce truth [Kitcher]
     Full Idea: X knows a priori that p iff the belief was produced with an a priori warrant, which is a process which is available to X, and this process is a warrant, and it makes p true.
     From: Philip Kitcher (The Nature of Mathematical Knowledge [1984], 01.4)
     A reaction: [compression of a formal spelling-out] This is a modified version of Goldman's reliabilism, for a priori knowledge. It sounds a bit circular and uninformative, but it's a start.
12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 6. A Priori from Reason
12418 In long mathematical proofs we can't remember the original a priori basis [Kitcher]
     Full Idea: When we follow long mathematical proofs we lose our a priori warrants for their beginnings.
     From: Philip Kitcher (The Nature of Mathematical Knowledge [1984], 02.2)
     A reaction: Kitcher says Descartes complains about this problem several times in his 'Regulae'. The problem runs even deeper into all reasoning, if you become sceptical about memory. You have to remember step 1 when you do step 2.
12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 9. A Priori from Concepts
12389 Knowledge is a priori if the experience giving you the concepts thus gives you the knowledge [Kitcher]
     Full Idea: Knowledge is independent of experience if any experience which would enable us to acquire the concepts involved would enable us to have the knowledge.
     From: Philip Kitcher (The Nature of Mathematical Knowledge [1984], 01.3)
     A reaction: This is the 'conceptualist' view of a priori knowledge, which Kitcher goes on to attack, preferring a 'constructivist' view. The formula here shows that we can't divorce experience entirely from a priori thought. I find conceptualism a congenial view.
12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 10. A Priori as Subjective
12416 We have some self-knowledge a priori, such as knowledge of our own existence [Kitcher]
     Full Idea: One can make a powerful case for supposing that some self-knowledge is a priori. At most, if not all, of our waking moments, each of us knows of herself that she exists.
     From: Philip Kitcher (The Nature of Mathematical Knowledge [1984], 01.6)
     A reaction: This is a begrudging concession from a strong opponent to the whole notion of a priori knowledge. I suppose if you ask 'what can be known by thought alone?' then truths about thought ought to be fairly good initial candidates.