Combining Texts

Ideas for 'Stipulation, Meaning and Apriority', 'Socrates: Ironist and Moral Philosopher' and 'Criterion of Validity in Reasoning'

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2 ideas

2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 4. Aims of Reason
I reason in order to avoid disappointment and surprise [Peirce]
     Full Idea: I do not reason for the sake of my delight in reasoning, but solely to avoid disappointment and surprise.
     From: Charles Sanders Peirce (Criterion of Validity in Reasoning [1903], I)
     A reaction: Hence Peirce places more emphasis on inductive and abductive reasoning than on deductive reasoning. I have to agree with him. Anyone account of why we reason must have an evolutionary framework. What advantage does reason bestow? It concerns the future.
2. Reason / D. Definition / 13. Against Definition
How do we determine which of the sentences containing a term comprise its definition? [Horwich]
     Full Idea: How are we to determine which of the sentences containing a term comprise its definition?
     From: Paul Horwich (Stipulation, Meaning and Apriority [2000], §2)
     A reaction: Nice question. If I say 'philosophy is the love of wisdom' and 'philosophy bores me', why should one be part of its definition and the other not? What if I stipulated that the second one is part of my definition, and the first one isn't?