Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'fragments/reports', 'Epistemic and Metaphysical Possibility' and 'Pragmatism in Retrospect'

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5 ideas

3. Truth / E. Pragmatic Truth / 1. Pragmatic Truth
Peirce's theory offers anti-realist verificationism, but surely how things are is independent of us? [Horsten on Peirce]
     Full Idea: Peirce's anti-realist theory of a truth is a verificationist theory. Truth is judged to be an epistemic notion. But the way things are is independent of the evidence we may be able to obtain for or against a judgement.
     From: comment on Charles Sanders Peirce (Pragmatism in Retrospect [1906]) by Leon Horsten - The Tarskian Turn 02.1
     A reaction: This criticism doesn't quite capture the point that Peirce's theory is that truth is an ideal, not the set of opinions that miserable little humans eventually settle for when they get bored. Truth is an aspect of rationality, perhaps.
Independent truth (if there is any) is the ultimate result of sufficient enquiry [Peirce]
     Full Idea: I hold that truth's independence of individual opinions is due (so far as there is any 'truth') to its being the predestined result to which sufficient enquiry would ultimately lead.
     From: Charles Sanders Peirce (Pragmatism in Retrospect [1906], p.288)
10. Modality / A. Necessity / 6. Logical Necessity
Logical necessity is epistemic necessity, which is the old notion of a priori [Edgington, by McFetridge]
     Full Idea: Edgington's position is that logical necessity is an epistemic notion: epistemic necessity which, she claims, is the old notion of the a priori. Like Kripke, she thinks this is two-way independent of metaphysical necessity.
     From: report of Dorothy Edgington (Epistemic and Metaphysical Possibility [1985]) by Ian McFetridge - Logical Necessity: Some Issues §1
     A reaction: [her paper was unpublished] She hence thinks an argument can be logically valid, while metaphysically its conclusion may not follow. Dubious, though I think I favour the view that logical necessity is underwritten by metaphysical necessity.
12. Knowledge Sources / D. Empiricism / 3. Pragmatism
Pragmatism is a way of establishing meanings, not a theory of metaphysics or a set of truths [Peirce]
     Full Idea: Pragmatism is no doctrine of metaphysics, no attempt to determine the truth of things. It is merely a method of ascertaining the meanings of hard words and of abstract concepts.
     From: Charles Sanders Peirce (Pragmatism in Retrospect [1906], p.271)
     A reaction: Suddenly I recognise a prominent strand of modern philosophy of language (especially in America) for what it is.
21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 7. Art and Morality
Musical performance can reveal a range of virtues [Damon of Ath.]
     Full Idea: In singing and playing the lyre, a boy will be likely to reveal not only courage and moderation, but also justice.
     From: Damon (fragments/reports [c.460 BCE], B4), quoted by (who?) - where?