Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Symposium', 'Resemblance Nominalism: a solution to universals' and 'On Certainty'

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5 ideas

8. Modes of Existence / E. Nominalism / 2. Resemblance Nominalism

18436	Entities are truthmakers for their resemblances, so no extra entities or 'resemblances' are needed [Rodriquez-Pereyra]
	Full Idea: A and B are the sole truthmakers for 'A and B resemble each other'. There is no need to postulate extra entities - the resembling entities suffice to account for them. There is no regress of resemblances, ...since there are no resemblances at all.
	From: Gonzalo Rodriguez-Pereyra (Resemblance Nominalism: a solution to universals [2002], p.115), quoted by Douglas Edwards - Properties 5.5.2
	A reaction: This seems to flatly reject the ordinary conversational move of asking in what 'respect' the two things resemble, which may be a genuine puzzle which gets an illuminating answer. We can't fully explain resemblance, but we can do better than this!

13. Knowledge Criteria / B. Internal Justification / 4. Foundationalism / a. Foundationalism

3597	Foundations need not precede other beliefs [Wittgenstein]
	Full Idea: I do not explicitly learn the propositions that stand fast for me. I can discover them subsequently like the axis around which a body rotates.
	From: Ludwig Wittgenstein (On Certainty [1951], §152), quoted by Michael Williams - Problems of Knowledge Ch.14
	A reaction: A nice metaphor for the way in which axioms are derived. It is also close to Quine's metaphor of the 'net' of understanding, with the centre area 'standing fast'. Not neat and tidy, though.

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

3596	Total doubt can't even get started [Wittgenstein, by Williams,M]
	Full Idea: Wittgenstein remarked that if you tried to doubt everything, you would not get as far as doubting anything.
	From: report of Ludwig Wittgenstein (On Certainty [1951]) by Michael Williams - Problems of Knowledge Ch.14

19. Language / A. Nature of Meaning / 10. Denial of Meanings

4721	If you are not certain of any fact, you cannot be certain of the meaning of your words either [Wittgenstein]
	Full Idea: If you are not certain of any fact, you cannot be certain of the meaning of your words either.
	From: Ludwig Wittgenstein (On Certainty [1951], §114)
	A reaction: A wonderfully challenging aphorism. I suspect that it is true, but not really a problem. We all know the meaning of 'Loch Ness Monster', as long as we don't get too fussy. And for local objects I am happy that I know the facts.

22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / h. Fine deeds

5845	Niceratus learnt the whole of Homer by heart, as a guide to goodness [Xenophon]
	Full Idea: Niceratus said that his father, because he was concerned to make him a good man, made him learn the whole works of Homer, and he could still repeat by heart the entire 'Iliad' and 'Odyssey'.
	From: Xenophon (Symposium [c.391 BCE], 3.5)
	A reaction: This clearly shows the status which Homer had in the teaching of morality in the time of Socrates, and it is precisely this acceptance of authority which he was challenging, in his attempts to analyse the true basis of virtue