Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'The Evolution of Modern Metaphysics', 'Russell' and 'Aenesidemus'

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5 ideas

1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 1. Nature of Metaphysics

21959	Metaphysics is the most general attempt to make sense of things [Moore,AW]
	Full Idea: Metaphysics is the most general attempt to make sense of things.
	From: A.W. Moore (The Evolution of Modern Metaphysics [2012], Intro)
	A reaction: This is the first sentence of Moore's book, and a touchstone idea all the way through. It stands up well, because it says enough without committing to too much. I have to agree with it. It implies explanation as the key. I like generality too.

6. Mathematics / C. Sources of Mathematics / 6. Logicism / a. Early logicism

6408	Russell needed three extra axioms to reduce maths to logic: infinity, choice and reducibility [Grayling]
	Full Idea: In order to deduce the theorems of mathematics from purely logical axioms, Russell had to add three new axioms to those of standards logic, which were: the axiom of infinity, the axiom of choice, and the axiom of reducibility.
	From: A.C. Grayling (Russell [1996], Ch.2)
	A reaction: The third one was adopted to avoid his 'barber' paradox, but many thinkers do not accept it. The interesting question is why anyone would 'accept' or 'reject' an axiom.

7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 2. Realism

22014	Consciousness is not entirely representational, because there are pains, and the self [Schulze, by Pinkard]
	Full Idea: Schulze said Reinhold and Kant violated their own theory with the thing-in-itself, and that Reinhold was wrong that all consciousnes is representational (since pain isn't), and the self can't represent itself without a regress.
	From: report of Gottlob Schulze (Aenesidemus [1792]) by Terry Pinkard - German Philosophy 1760-1860 05
	A reaction: [my compressed version] This article demolished Reinhold, which is a shame, because if he had responded constructively to these criticisms he might have reached be best theory of his age. These are analytic style objections, by counterexample.

11. Knowledge Aims / C. Knowing Reality / 3. Idealism / b. Transcendental idealism

21958	Appearances are nothing beyond representations, which is transcendental ideality [Moore,AW]
	Full Idea: Appearances in general are nothing outside our representations, which is just what we mean by transcendental ideality.
	From: A.W. Moore (The Evolution of Modern Metaphysics [2012], B535/A507)

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

6414	Two propositions might seem self-evident, but contradict one another [Grayling]
	Full Idea: Two propositions might contradict each other despite appearing self-evident when considered separately.
	From: A.C. Grayling (Russell [1996], Ch.2)
	A reaction: Russell's proposal (Idea 5416) is important here, that self-evidence comes in degrees. If self-evidence was all-or-nothing, Grayling's point would be a major problem, but it isn't. Bonjour explores the idea more fully (e.g. Idea 3704)