Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Reply to Hellman', 'fragments/reports' and 'Julius Caesar'

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

display all the ideas for this combination of texts

---

5 ideas

12. Knowledge Sources / A. A Priori Knowledge / 2. Self-Evidence

9379	A sentence is obvious if it is true, and any speaker of the language will instantly agree to it [Quine]
	Full Idea: A sentence is obvious if (a) it is true and (b) any speaker of the language is prepared, for any reason or none, to assent to it without hesitation, unless put off by being asked so obvious a question.
	From: Willard Quine (Reply to Hellman [1975], p.206), quoted by Paul Boghossian - Analyticity Reconsidered §III
	A reaction: This comes from someone who is keen to deny a priori knowledge, but what are we to make of the expostulations "It's obvious, you idiot!", and "Now I see it, it's obvious!", and "It seemed obvious, but I was wrong!"?

12. Knowledge Sources / B. Perception / 2. Qualities in Perception / a. Qualities in perception

1532	Sensible qualities can't be real if they appear different to different creatures [Democritus, by Theophrastus]
	Full Idea: As proof of the fact that sensible qualities have no real existence he points to the fact that they do not appear the same to all creatures.
	From: report of Democritus (fragments/reports [c.431 BCE], A135) by Theophrastus - On the Senses 63

12. Knowledge Sources / B. Perception / 3. Representation

20894	Man is separated from reality [Democritus]
	Full Idea: It is necessary to recognise that man by virtue of this criterion is separated from reality.
	From: Democritus (fragments/reports [c.431 BCE], B006), quoted by Sextus Empiricus - Against the Logicians (two books) 7.137
	A reaction: I don't know what 'this criterion' is, but it strikes me as quite a good slogan for fans (like myself) of the representative theory of perception. Critics say it is the big objection to the representative theory, but I say 'get over it'.

12. Knowledge Sources / C. Rationalism / 1. Rationalism

517	All evidence comes from senses, so they are indispensable to the mind [Democritus]
	Full Idea: Mind must never reject the senses, because that is where it gets its evidence, and it would be the mind's downfall.
	From: Democritus (fragments/reports [c.431 BCE], B125), quoted by Galen - On Medical Experience 15.8

20897	Obscure knowledge belongs to the five senses, and genuine knowledge is the other type [Democritus]
	Full Idea: There are two forms of knowledge [gnomé], the one genuine, the other obscure. And to the obscure one belongs all of these: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch. The other is genuine, and is separated from this one.
	From: Democritus (fragments/reports [c.431 BCE], B011), quoted by Sextus Empiricus - Against the Logicians (two books) 7.139
	A reaction: [Sextus goes on to make it clear that the 'genuine' one is knowledge acquired by thought]. I take Parmenides to be the first rationalist. It is interesting that Democritus, who devoted his life to finding causal explanations, seems to be a rationalist.