76 ideas
15447 | We shouldn't always follow where the argument leads! [Lewis on Plato] |
6891 | Quine's naturalistic and empirical view is based entirely on first-order logic and set theory [Quine, by Mautner] |
6310 | Enquiry needs a conceptual scheme, so we should retain the best available [Quine] |
243 | It is foolish to quarrel with the mind's own reasoning processes [Plato] |
241 | We ought to follow where the argument leads us [Plato] |
21264 | Mortals are incapable of being fully rational [Plato] |
251 | Truth has the supreme value, for both gods and men [Plato] |
12798 | Plurals can in principle be paraphrased away altogether [Quine] |
17905 | Any progression will do nicely for numbers; they can all then be used to measure multiplicity [Quine] |
9556 | Nearly all of mathematics has to quantify over abstract objects [Quine] |
16462 | The quest for ultimate categories is the quest for a simple clear pattern of notation [Quine] |
15723 | Either dispositions rest on structures, or we keep saying 'all things being equal' [Quine] |
15490 | Explain unmanifested dispositions as structural similarities to objects which have manifested them [Quine, by Martin,CB] |
8504 | Quine aims to deal with properties by the use of eternal open sentences, or classes [Quine, by Devitt] |
8464 | Physical objects in space-time are just events or processes, no matter how disconnected [Quine] |
7924 | The notion of a physical object is by far the most useful one for science [Quine] |
14082 | No sortal could ever exactly pin down which set of particles count as this 'cup' [Schaffer,J] |
21259 | To grasp a thing we need its name, its definition, and what it really is [Plato] |
8482 | Mathematicians must be rational but not two-legged, cyclists the opposite. So a mathematical cyclist? [Quine] |
12136 | Cyclist are not actually essentially two-legged [Brody on Quine] |
17594 | We can paraphrase 'x=y' as a sequence of the form 'if Fx then Fy' [Quine] |
14081 | Identities can be true despite indeterminate reference, if true under all interpretations [Schaffer,J] |
15725 | Normal conditionals have a truth-value gap when the antecedent is false. [Quine] |
15722 | Conditionals are pointless if the truth value of the antecedent is known [Quine] |
15719 | We feign belief in counterfactual antecedents, and assess how convincing the consequent is [Quine] |
15721 | Counterfactuals are plausible when dispositions are involved, as they imply structures [Quine] |
15724 | Counterfactuals have no place in a strict account of science [Quine] |
15720 | What stays the same in assessing a counterfactual antecedent depends on context [Quine] |
4630 | Two theories can be internally consistent and match all the facts, yet be inconsistent with one another [Quine, by Baggini /Fosl] |
21260 | Soul is what is defined by 'self-generating motion' [Plato] |
276 | My individuality is my soul, which carries my body around [Plato] |
3131 | Quine expresses the instrumental version of eliminativism [Quine, by Rey] |
3988 | Indeterminacy of translation also implies indeterminacy in interpreting people's mental states [Dennett on Quine] |
6311 | The firmer the links between sentences and stimuli, the less translations can diverge [Quine] |
6312 | We can never precisely pin down how to translate the native word 'Gavagai' [Quine] |
6313 | Stimulus synonymy of 'Gavagai' and 'Rabbit' does not even guarantee they are coextensive [Quine] |
6317 | Dispositions to speech behaviour, and actual speech, are never enough to fix any one translation [Quine] |
6315 | We should be suspicious of a translation which implies that a people have very strange beliefs [Quine] |
6314 | Weird translations are always possible, but they improve if we impose our own logic on them [Quine] |
249 | People who value beauty above virtue insult the soul by placing the body above it [Plato] |
265 | An action is only just if it is performed by someone with a just character and outlook [Plato] |
269 | Attempted murder is like real murder, but we should respect the luck which avoided total ruin [Plato] |
240 | It would be strange if the gods rewarded those who experienced the most pleasure in life [Plato] |
264 | The conquest of pleasure is the noblest victory of all [Plato] |
4332 | Virtue is a concord of reason and emotion, with pleasure and pain trained to correct ends [Plato] |
248 | A serious desire for moral excellence is very rare indeed [Plato] |
253 | Every crime is the result of excessive self-love [Plato] |
263 | The only worthwhile life is one devoted to physical and moral perfection [Plato] |
235 | Virtue is the aim of all laws [Plato] |
277 | The Guardians must aim to discover the common element in the four cardinal virtues [Plato] |
254 | Excessive laughter and tears must be avoided [Plato] |
266 | Injustice is the mastery of the soul by bad feelings, even if they do not lead to harm [Plato] |
242 | The best people are produced where there is no excess of wealth or poverty [Plato] |
256 | Virtue and great wealth are incompatible [Plato] |
245 | Totalitarian states destroy friendships and community spirit [Plato] |
239 | Education in virtue produces citizens who are active but obedient [Plato] |
1402 | Friendship is impossible between master and slave, even if they are made equal [Plato] |
262 | Men and women should qualify equally for honours on merit [Plato] |
236 | Sound laws achieve the happiness of those who observe them [Plato] |
259 | Justice is granting the equality which unequals deserve [Plato] |
238 | Children's games should channel their pleasures into adult activity [Plato] |
260 | Control of education is the key office of state, and should go to the best citizen [Plato] |
257 | Mathematics has the widest application of any subject on the curriculum [Plato] |
4331 | Education is channelling a child's feelings into the right course before it understands why [Plato] |
250 | The best way to educate the young is not to rebuke them, but to set a good example [Plato] |
275 | Creation is not for you; you exist for the sake of creation [Plato] |
273 | Movement is transmitted through everything, and it must have started with self-generated motion [Plato] |
8004 | In 'The Laws', to obey the law is to be obey god [Plato, by MacIntyre] |
21261 | Self-moving soul has to be the oldest thing there is [Plato] |
21257 | Self-generating motion is clearly superior to all other kinds of motion [Plato] |
21258 | The only possible beginning for the endless motions of reality is something self-generated [Plato] |
274 | Soul must be the cause of all the opposites, such as good and evil or beauty and ugliness [Plato] |
21263 | If all the motions of nature reflect calculations of reason, then the best kind of soul must direct it [Plato] |
278 | If astronomical movements are seen as necessary instead of by divine will, this leads to atheism [Plato] |
21265 | The heavens must be full of gods, controlling nature either externally or from within [Plato] |
21262 | There must be at least two souls controlling the cosmos, one doing good, the other the opposite [Plato] |