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Ideas for 'fragments/reports', 'Against 'Ostrich Nominalism'' and 'Critique of Pure Reason'

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6 ideas

13. Knowledge Criteria / B. Internal Justification / 4. Foundationalism / f. Foundationalism critique

5541	A sufficient but general sign of truth cannot possibly be provided [Kant]
	Full Idea: It is clear that a sufficient and yet at the same time general sign of truth cannot possibly be provided.
	From: Immanuel Kant (Critique of Pure Reason [1781], B083/A59)
	A reaction: In relation to the quest of Sextus Empiricus to find the 'criterion' of knowledge, this makes Kant a sceptic. It certainly seems to rule out any foundationalist view of knowledge. (Clearly Kant believes that an account of knowledge is possible).

13. Knowledge Criteria / B. Internal Justification / 5. Coherentism / a. Coherence as justification

7070	Kant says knowledge is when our representations sufficiently conform to our concepts [Kant, by Critchley]
	Full Idea: Kant, in his epistemology, turns the issue of scepticism around by acknowledging that, although we can never know things-in-themselves, the objects of our representations conform to the concepts we have of them in a manner sufficient for knowledge.
	From: report of Immanuel Kant (Critique of Pure Reason [1781]) by Simon Critchley - Continental Philosophy - V. Short Intro Ch.2
	A reaction: This seems to invite the problem of a brain-in-a-vat, which is fed absurd representations, and set up with a bunch of silly concepts that conform to the representations.

13. Knowledge Criteria / D. Scepticism / 1. Scepticism

4708	Kant thought he had refuted scepticism, but his critics say he is a sceptic, for rejecting reality [O'Grady on Kant]
	Full Idea: Kant believed he had given a decisive answer to traditional scepticism, since we can no longer be mistaken about objects, but his critics say he is a sceptic, because he relinquishes our grasp of independent things.
	From: comment on Immanuel Kant (Critique of Pure Reason [1781]) by Paul O'Grady - Relativism Ch.3
	A reaction: A simple issue to raise about the man, my first reaction being that he is a sceptic. He says the 'noumenon' (true reality) is unknowable, but I say we can meaningfully speculate and theorise about it.

13. Knowledge Criteria / D. Scepticism / 6. Scepticism Critique

5592	Scepticism is the euthanasia of pure reason [Kant]
	Full Idea: Reason is tempted to surrender itself to a sceptical hopelessness, which might also be called the euthanasia of pure reason.
	From: Immanuel Kant (Critique of Pure Reason [1781], B434/A407)
	A reaction: Colin McGinn's 'mysterian' pessimism about the mind-body problem comes to mind!

5595	Scepticism is absurd in maths, where there are no hidden false assertions [Kant]
	Full Idea: The sceptical method would be absurd in mathematics, because nowhere in mathematics do false assertions disguise themselves and make themselves invisible.
	From: Immanuel Kant (Critique of Pure Reason [1781], B452/A424)
	A reaction: An interesting observation. The implication I take here is that scepticism in the realm of sensation is justified, precisely because errors and illusion do occur.

13. Knowledge Criteria / E. Relativism / 1. Relativism

6578	For Kant, experience is relative to a scheme, but there are no further possible schemes [Kant, by Fogelin]
	Full Idea: For Kant, experience is relativised to a categorial framework, but there is no further relativisation, at least in any deep respect, to a plurality of possible conceptual schemes.
	From: report of Immanuel Kant (Critique of Pure Reason [1781]) by Robert Fogelin - Walking the Tightrope of Reason Ch.3
	A reaction: This point is enlarged nicely by Davidson, in his view that we could make no sense of a different 'conceptual scheme' (Idea 6398). Kant's resistance to speculation prevents him imagining how it might be to be an angel, or an alien, or a Hopi.