The External World and Our Knowledge of it

The External World and Our Knowledge of it
Author :
Publisher : University of Toronto Press
Total Pages : 825
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780802097644
ISBN-13 : 0802097642
Rating : 4/5 (44 Downloads)

Synopsis The External World and Our Knowledge of it by : Fred Wilson

David Hume is often considered to have been a sceptic, particularly in his conception of the individual's knowledge of the external world. However, a closer examination of his works gives a much different impression of this aspect of Hume's philosophy, one that is due for a thorough scholarly analysis. This study argues that Hume was, in fact, a critical realist in the early twentieth-century sense, a period in which the term was used to describe the epistemological and ontological theories of such philosophers as Roy Wood Sellars and Bertrand Russell. Carefully situating Hume in his historical context, that is, relative to Aristotelian and rationalist traditions, Fred Wilson makes important and unique insights into Humean philosophy. Analyzing key sections of the Treatise, the Enquiry, and the Dialogues concerning Natural Religion, Wilson offers a deeper understanding of Hume by taking into account the philosopher's theories of the external world. Such a reading, the author explains, is not only more faithful to the texts, but also reinforces the view of Hume as a critical realist in light of twentieth-century discussions between externalism and internalism, and between coherentists and foundationalists. Complete with original observations and ideas, this study is sure to generate debates about Humean philosophy, critical realism, and the limits of perceptual knowledge.

Knowledge of the External World

Knowledge of the External World
Author :
Publisher : Routledge
Total Pages : 255
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781134946235
ISBN-13 : 1134946236
Rating : 4/5 (35 Downloads)

Synopsis Knowledge of the External World by : Bruce Aune

Many philosophers believe that the traditional problem of our knowledge of the external world was dissolved by Wittgestein and others. They argue that it was not really a problem - just a linguistic `confusion' that did not actually require a solution. Bruce Aune argues that they are wrong. He casts doubt on the generally accepted reasons for putting the problem aside and proposes an entirely new approach. By considering the history of the problem from Descartes to Kant, Aune shows that analogous arguments create difficulties for the contemporary philosophical consensus. He makes it clear that the problem remains acute, particualarly for our understanding of scientific evidence. The solution he proposes draws upon contemporary philosophy of science and probability theory.

Our Knowledge of the External World as a Field for Scientific Method in Philosophy

Our Knowledge of the External World as a Field for Scientific Method in Philosophy
Author :
Publisher : DigiCat
Total Pages : 189
Release :
ISBN-10 : EAN:8596547337768
ISBN-13 :
Rating : 4/5 (68 Downloads)

Synopsis Our Knowledge of the External World as a Field for Scientific Method in Philosophy by : Bertrand Russell

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Our Knowledge of the External World as a Field for Scientific Method in Philosophy" by Bertrand Russell. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

The Significance of Philosophical Scepticism

The Significance of Philosophical Scepticism
Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Total Pages : 294
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780198247616
ISBN-13 : 0198247613
Rating : 4/5 (16 Downloads)

Synopsis The Significance of Philosophical Scepticism by : Barry Stroud

He author argues that the sceptical thesis is motivated by a persistent philosophical problem that calls the very possibility of knowledge about the external world into question, and that the sceptical thesis is the only acceptable answer to this problem as traditionally posed.

Locke's Science of Knowledge

Locke's Science of Knowledge
Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Total Pages : 249
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781317418252
ISBN-13 : 1317418255
Rating : 4/5 (52 Downloads)

Synopsis Locke's Science of Knowledge by : Matt Priselac

John Locke’s An Essay Concerning Human Understanding begins with a clear statement of an epistemological goal: to explain the limits of human knowledge, opinion, and ignorance. The actual text of the Essay, in stark contrast, takes a long and seemingly meandering path before returning to that goal at the Essay’s end—one with many detours through questions in philosophy of mind, metaphysics, and philosophy of language. Over time, Locke scholarship has come to focus on Locke’s contributions to these parts of philosophy. In Locke’s Science of Knowledge, Priselac refocuses on the Essay’s epistemological thread, arguing that the Essay is unified from beginning to end around its compositional theory of ideas and the active role Locke gives the mind in constructing its thoughts. To support the plausibility and demonstrate the value of this interpretation, Priselac argues that—contrary to its reputation as being at best sloppy and at worst outright inconsistent—Locke’s discussion of skepticism and account of knowledge of the external world fits neatly within the Essay’s epistemology.

Ask a Philosopher

Ask a Philosopher
Author :
Publisher : Macmillan + ORM
Total Pages : 175
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781250756183
ISBN-13 : 1250756189
Rating : 4/5 (83 Downloads)

Synopsis Ask a Philosopher by : Ian Olasov

A collection of answers to the philosophical questions on people's minds—from the big to the personal to the ones you didn't know you needed answered. Based on real-life questions from his Ask a Philosopher series, Ian Olasov offers his answers to questions such as: - Are people innately good or bad? - Is it okay to have a pet fish? - Is it okay to have kids? - Is color subjective? - If humans colonize Mars, who will own the land? - Is ketchup a smoothie? - Is there life after death? - Should I give money to homeless people? Ask a Philosopher shows that there's a way of making philosophy work for each of us, and that philosophy can be both perfectly continuous with everyday life, and also utterly transporting. From questions that we all wrestle with in private to questions that you never thought to ask, Ask a Philosopher will get you thinking.

Russell's Theory of Perception

Russell's Theory of Perception
Author :
Publisher : A&C Black
Total Pages : 258
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781847142849
ISBN-13 : 1847142842
Rating : 4/5 (49 Downloads)

Synopsis Russell's Theory of Perception by : Sajahan Miah

In Russell's Theory of Perception, Sajahan Miah re-examines and evaluates the development of Russell's concept of perception and the relation of perception to our knowledge of the external world. With the introduction of logical construction (in which physical objects are constructed from actual and possible sense-data) Russell's theory of perception seems to become a causal theory with phenomenalist overtones. The book argues that there is a consistency of purpose and direction which motivated Russell to introduce logical construction. The purpose was to strike a compromise between his empiricism and his realism and to establish a bridge between the objects of perception and the objects of physics and common sense.

Bertrand Russell's Best

Bertrand Russell's Best
Author :
Publisher : Signet Book
Total Pages : 0
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0451625080
ISBN-13 : 9780451625083
Rating : 4/5 (80 Downloads)

Synopsis Bertrand Russell's Best by : Bertrand Russell

This collection showcases the very best of Russell's writings on an impressively diverse range of subjects. From sex and marriage, to education and politics, this is a delightfully funny introduction to one of the twentieth century's greatest thinkers.

Knowledge and Mind

Knowledge and Mind
Author :
Publisher : MIT Press
Total Pages : 276
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0262261642
ISBN-13 : 9780262261647
Rating : 4/5 (42 Downloads)

Synopsis Knowledge and Mind by : Andrew Brook

This is the only contemporary text to cover both epistemology and philosophy of mind at an introductory level. It also serves as a general introduction to philosophy: it discusses the nature and methods of philosophy as well as basic logical tools of the trade. The book is divided into three parts. The first focuses on knowledge, in particular, skepticism and knowledge of the external world, and knowledge of language. The second focuses on mind, including the metaphysics of mind and freedom of will. The third brings together knowledge and mind, discussing knowledge of mind (other minds and our own) and naturalism and how epistemology and philosophy of mind come together in contemporary cognitive science. Throughout, the authors take into account the needs of the beginning philosophy student. They have made very effort to ensure accessibility while preserving accuracy.

Human Knowledge and Human Nature

Human Knowledge and Human Nature
Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages : 214
Release :
ISBN-10 : IND:30000027265168
ISBN-13 :
Rating : 4/5 (68 Downloads)

Synopsis Human Knowledge and Human Nature by : Peter Carruthers

Contemporary debates in epistemology devote much attention to the nature of knowledge, but neglect the question of its sources. The distinctive focus of Human Knowledge and Human Nature is on the latter, especially on the question of innateness. Peter Carruthers's aim is to transform and reinvigorate contemporary empiricism, while also providing an introduction to a range of issues in the theory of knowledge. He gives a lively presentation and assessment of the claims of classical empiricism, particularly its denial of substantive a priori knowledge and also of innate knowledge. He argues that we would be right to reject the substantive a priori but not innateness, and then presents a novel account of the main motivation behind empiricism, which leaves contemporary empiricists free to accept innate knowledge and concepts. He closes with a discussion of scepticism, arguing that acceptance of innate concepts may lead to a decisive resolution of the problem in favour of realism. The book will be of equal interest to students of the history of modern philosophy and the theory of knowledge, and their teachers. It provides a new way of looking at classical empiricism, and should lead to a renewal of interest in the innateness issue in epistemology.