Empiricism and ExperienceThe fundamental question asked in this book is: what is the contribution of experience of knowledge? The book develops an account of experience that allows it to inform knowledge while respecting two constraints—the contribution of experience to knowledge must be both rational and substantial. The book argues that these constraints cannot be met if we make the assumption that experience only acquaints us with partial truth about the world. Instead the book uses tools from philosophical logic, specifically the logic of interdependent concepts, to show that a natural account of experience is available using the interdependence of views and perceptual judgments. In essence, the book argues for a reformed empiricism that embraces experience as conditional. |
Contents
1 Two Truisms | 3 |
2 Some Virtues of Classical Empiricism | 13 |
An Introduction | 59 |
4 A Model of Experience and Knowledge | 75 |
5 Direct Awareness Semantics and Solipsism | 111 |
6 A Reformed Empiricism | 161 |
7 Removing Idealization | 199 |
8 Concluding Remarks | 215 |
Supplement on Experience | 223 |
| 237 | |
| 247 | |
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Common terms and phrases
accept analytic-synthetic distinction antecedent extension Argument from Illusion behavior beliefs Cartesian conceptions causal classical empiricism classical empiricists coherence commonsense view consequent extension contribution of experience convergence Davidson definitions direct awareness distinction dogma dogma of empiricism domain of discourse empirical knowledge empiricists ence entitlement epistemological Equivalence constraint example extension of G fact Fred Fred's fundamentally equivalent given in experience hypothesis idea ideal inquiry interdependence John McDowell judgments of perception justification logical Meinongian metaphysical Multiple-Factorizability nature notion observation sentence ontology orange Passenger 568 perceptual judgments perience phenomenology philosophical physical objects picture premiss present priori problem propositional content propositional given question Quine Quine's rational contribution reason rendered rational revision process revision sequence rience role Sellars Sellars's semantical links sense sense-datum theory skeptical argument skeptical hypothesis solipsism stage subjective character things tomato true truth understand verification theory visual experience Wilfrid Sellars yellow coaster yields