Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Reply to Fourth Objections', 'Contemporary Political Theory' and 'Representation and Reality'

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40 ideas

1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 5. Aims of Philosophy / a. Philosophy as worldly
The job of the philosopher is to distinguish facts about the world from conventions [Putnam]
3. Truth / F. Semantic Truth / 2. Semantic Truth
Semantic notions do not occur in Tarski's definitions, but assessing their correctness involves translation [Putnam]
3. Truth / H. Deflationary Truth / 1. Redundant Truth
Asserting the truth of an indexical statement is not the same as uttering the statement [Putnam]
5. Theory of Logic / A. Overview of Logic / 5. First-Order Logic
Liberal Nationalism says welfare states and democracy needed a shared sense of nationality [Shorten]
7. Existence / D. Theories of Reality / 2. Realism
Realists believe truth is correspondence, independent of humans, is bivalent, and is unique [Putnam]
9. Objects / A. Existence of Objects / 1. Physical Objects
Aristotle says an object (e.g. a lamp) has identity if its parts stay together when it is moved [Putnam]
17. Mind and Body / C. Functionalism / 2. Machine Functionalism
Functionalism says robots and people are the same at one level of abstraction [Putnam]
17. Mind and Body / C. Functionalism / 8. Functionalism critique
Is there just one computational state for each specific belief? [Putnam]
Functionalism can't explain reference and truth, which are needed for logic [Putnam]
If concepts have external meaning, computational states won't explain psychology [Putnam]
17. Mind and Body / E. Mind as Physical / 3. Eliminativism
If we are going to eliminate folk psychology, we must also eliminate folk logic [Putnam]
17. Mind and Body / E. Mind as Physical / 6. Conceptual Dualism
The concept of mind excludes body, and vice versa [Descartes]
18. Thought / A. Modes of Thought / 4. Folk Psychology
Can we give a scientific, computational account of folk psychology? [Putnam]
18. Thought / C. Content / 5. Twin Earth
Reference may be different while mental representation is the same [Putnam]
19. Language / A. Nature of Meaning / 1. Meaning
Meaning and translation (which are needed to define truth) both presuppose the notion of reference [Putnam]
19. Language / A. Nature of Meaning / 6. Meaning as Use
"Meaning is use" is not a definition of meaning [Putnam]
19. Language / A. Nature of Meaning / 7. Meaning Holism / b. Language holism
Meaning holism tried to show that you can't get fixed meanings built out of observation terms [Putnam]
Understanding a sentence involves background knowledge and can't be done in isolation [Putnam]
Holism seems to make fixed definition more or less impossible [Putnam]
19. Language / B. Reference / 3. Direct Reference / a. Direct reference
We should separate how the reference of 'gold' is fixed from its conceptual content [Putnam]
Like names, natural kind terms have their meaning fixed by extension and reference [Putnam]
19. Language / B. Reference / 3. Direct Reference / c. Social reference
Aristotle implies that we have the complete concepts of a language in our heads, but we don't [Putnam]
Reference (say to 'elms') is a social phenomenon which we can leave to experts [Putnam]
20. Action / C. Motives for Action / 5. Action Dilemmas / c. Omissions
Utilitarians conflate acts and omissions; causing to drown and failing to save are the same [Shorten]
24. Political Theory / C. Ruling a State / 1. Social Power
There are eight different ways in which groups of people can be oppressed [Shorten, by PG]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 1. Ideology
Constitutional Patriotism unites around political values (rather than national identity) [Shorten]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 5. Democracy / a. Nature of democracy
Democracy is a method of selection, or it involves participation, or it concerns public discussion [Shorten]
Some say democracy is intrinsically valuable, others that it delivers good outcomes [Shorten]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 5. Democracy / d. Representative democracy
Representative should be either obedient, or sensible, or typical [Shorten]
There is 'mirror representation' when the institution statistically reflects the population [Shorten]
In a changed situation a Mandated Representative can't keep promises and fight for constituents [Shorten]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 6. Liberalism / a. Liberalism basics
Liberal citizens have a moral requirement to respect freedom and equality [Shorten]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 6. Liberalism / b. Liberal individualism
Maybe the rational autonomous liberal individual is merely the result of domination [Shorten]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 6. Liberalism / c. Liberal equality
Liberal equality concerns rights, and liberal freedom concerns choice of ends [Shorten]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 6. Liberalism / e. Liberal community
Liberal Nationalism encourages the promotion of nationalistic values [Shorten]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 6. Liberalism / g. Liberalism critique
Liberalism should not make assumptions such as the value of choosing your own life plan [Shorten]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 7. Communitarianism / a. Communitarianism
Liberals treat individuals as mutual strangers, rather than as social beings [Shorten]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 14. Nationalism
Liberal Nationalism is more communitarian, and Constitutional Patriotism more cosmopolitan [Shorten]
25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 2. Religion in Society
Religious toleration has been institutionalised by the separation of church and state [Shorten]
26. Natural Theory / B. Natural Kinds / 5. Reference to Natural Kinds
"Water" is a natural kind term, but "H2O" is a description [Putnam]