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Ideas for 'fragments/reports', 'Introduction to 'Language Truth and Logic'' and 'Zettel'

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2 ideas

13. Knowledge Criteria / B. Internal Justification / 4. Foundationalism / c. Empirical foundations

5163	Basic propositions refer to a single experience, are incorrigible, and conclusively verifiable [Ayer]
	Full Idea: There is a class of empirical propositions, which I call 'basic propositions', which can be verified conclusively, since they refer solely to the contents of a single experience, which are incorrigible.
	From: A.J. Ayer (Introduction to 'Language Truth and Logic' [1946], p.13)
	A reaction: A classic statement of empirical foundationalism. I sort of agree that 'single experiences' are a 'given' for philosophy, but is questionable whether there is anything which could both be a single experience AND give rise to a proposition.

13. Knowledge Criteria / C. External Justification / 2. Causal Justification

3790	Causes of beliefs are irrelevant to their contents [Wittgenstein]
	Full Idea: The causes of our belief in a proposition are indeed irrelevant to the question of what we believe.
	From: Ludwig Wittgenstein (Zettel [1950], i.437)
	A reaction: This should have nipped the causal theory of knowledge in the bud before it got started. Everyone has a different cause for their belief that 'it sometimes rains'. Cause is not justification.