Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'The Middle Works (15 vols, ed Boydston)', 'Principles of Nature and Grace based on Reason' and 'Explanation - Opening Address'

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23 ideas

2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 6. Coherence
17070 Coherence is consilience, simplicity, analogy, and fitting into a web of belief [Smart]
17072 We need comprehensiveness, as well as self-coherence [Smart]
7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 5. Reason for Existence
5062 First: there must be reasons; Second: why anything at all?; Third: why this? [Leibniz]
7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 6. Fundamentals / c. Monads
19377 A monad and its body are living, so life is everywhere, and comes in infinite degrees [Leibniz]
11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 3. Value of Knowledge
22868 The value and truth of knowledge are measured by success in activity [Dewey]
12. Knowledge Sources / B. Perception / 1. Perception
19353 'Perception' is basic internal representation, and 'apperception' is reflective knowledge of perception [Leibniz]
13. Knowledge Criteria / B. Internal Justification / 3. Evidentialism / a. Evidence
17073 I simply reject evidence, if it is totally contrary to my web of belief [Smart]
14. Science / D. Explanation / 1. Explanation / c. Direction of explanation
17077 The height of a flagpole could be fixed by its angle of shadow, but that would be very unusual [Smart]
17078 Universe expansion explains the red shift, but not vice versa [Smart]
14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / c. Explanations by coherence
17074 Explanations are bad by fitting badly with a web of beliefs, or fitting well into a bad web [Smart]
17076 Deducing from laws is one possible way to achieve a coherent explanation [Smart]
17061 Explanation of a fact is fitting it into a system of beliefs [Smart]
14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / d. Consilience
17071 An explanation is better if it also explains phenomena from a different field [Smart]
14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / g. Causal explanations
17062 If scientific explanation is causal, that rules out mathematical explanation [Smart]
14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / j. Explanations by reduction
17075 Scientific explanation tends to reduce things to the unfamiliar (not the familiar) [Smart]
15. Nature of Minds / A. Nature of Mind / 7. Animal Minds
5061 Animals are semi-rational because they connect facts, but they don't see causes [Leibniz]
16. Persons / B. Nature of the Self / 1. Self and Consciousness
22865 Habits constitute the self [Dewey]
21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 8. The Arts / a. Music
5063 Music charms, although its beauty is the harmony of numbers [Leibniz]
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 2. Elements of Virtue Theory / e. Character
22871 The good people are those who improve; the bad are those who deteriorate [Dewey]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 5. Democracy / a. Nature of democracy
22876 Democracy is the development of human nature when it shares in the running of communal activities [Dewey]
22875 Democracy is not just a form of government; it is a mode of shared living [Dewey]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 6. Liberalism / b. Liberal individualism
22874 Individuality is only developed within groups [Dewey]
27. Natural Reality / B. Modern Physics / 1. Relativity / b. General relativity
17063 Unlike Newton, Einstein's general theory explains the perihelion of Mercury [Smart]