Philosophy: epistemology and theory of knowledge Books

Book SynopsisIntroduction.- Part I: Epistemic Vulnerability and Its Consequences.- 2 Epistemic Vulnerability: Between Fallibilism and Epistemic Success.- 3 The “New” Plato (I): The Second Voyage of Philosophy on Truth and the Strongest Discourses.- 4 The “New” Plato (II): A Pragmatist Conception of the Role of Our Strongest Discourses.- 5 Epistemic Verisimilitude: Structural Elements.- 6 Epistemic Verisimilitude, Justification, and Truth.- Part II: Increasing Degrees of Epistemic Verisimilitude .- 7 Epistemic Verisimilitude and Asymmetric Fallibilism.- 8 The Sources of the Increasing Epistemic Verisimilitude of our Theories.- 9 Increasing Epistemic Verisimilitude and the Relay Race Problem.- 10 A Historically Accurate Epistemic Grinder Machine.- 11 The Flaws of Realism and Antirealism .- 12 A Critique of Chakravartty’s Requirements for Semirealism.- Epilogue.- Index.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisDie Analytische Einführung in die Erkenntnistheorie gehört in die Reihe der „analytischen Einführungen“ in die Disziplinen der Philosophie. Das Buch führt in die wichtigsten Grundfragen und -probleme der Erkenntnistheorie ein und enthält eine ausführliche Darstellung von Positionen und Argumenten aus der gegenwärtigen Diskussion. Es soll dem Leser dabei als kritische Orientierungshilfe dienen. Behandelt werden u.a. die erkenntnistheoretischen Grundbegriffe (Überzeugung, Wahrheit, Wissen und Rechtfertigung) sowie unterschiedliche Antworten auf die Fragen nach der Struktur, dem Umfang und den Quellen menschlichen Wissens. Die spezifischen Wissensarten kommen ausführlich zur Sprache (neben der Wahrnehmung insbesondere apriorisches Wissen, Erinnerung, Selbstwissen sowie sozialer Wissenstransfer und nicht-deduktive Schlussverfahren). Ein besonderes Augenmerk wird auf die Rolle der Erkenntnistheorie innerhalb der Philosophie sowie ihr Verhältnis zu den Einzelwissenschaften gelegt.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe aim of this book is to provide a comprehensive guide to the metaphysics of Bohmian mechanics. Bohmian mechanics is a quantum theory that describes the motion of particles following trajectories that are determined by the quantum wave-function. The key question that the theory has to face relates to the ontological interpretation of the quantum wave-function. The main debate has mostly centered around two opposing views, wave-function realism on the one hand, and the nomological view on the other hand. The supporters of the former believe that the wave-function is a physical field living in a high-dimensional space; the supporters of the latter regard the wave-function as just an entity that appears in the laws of nature and lacks physical status. This monograph discusses both views open-mindedly, illuminating their tacit problems and providing new insight into how they can be overcome. Moreover, it discusses the structuralist view, which is often neglected and which can be regarded as a reconciliation of the two main opposing camps.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPhysicalism is a metaphysical thesis easily presented in slogan form – there is nothing over and above the physical – but notoriously difficult to formulate precisely. Understanding physicalism combines insights from contemporary philosophy of mind and metaphysics to present a new account of physical properties and metaphysical dependence and, on this foundation, develop a more rigorous and illuminating formulation of the thesis of physicalism

Read more less

Book SynopsisA number of well-developed theories shed light on the question, under what circumstances our beliefs enjoy epistemic justification. Yet, comparatively little is known about epistemic defeat—when new information causes the loss of epistemic justification. This book proposes and defends a detailed account of epistemic defeaters. The main kinds of defeaters are analyzed in detail and integrated into a general framework that aims to explain how beliefs lose justification. It is argued that defeaters introduce incompatibilities into a noetic system and thereby prompt a structured re-evaluation process that makes a justified reinstatement of the defeated belief impossible. The account is then applied to the topic of disagreement, where it is used in an argument for conciliationism, as well as a new explanation for higher-order defeat. Throughout the book, the notion of defeat is the center of attention, while a number of new issues are discussed at the intersections of defeat and justification. Specifically, new problems are raised for broadly internalist accounts of defeat, a fully descriptive reliabilist account of defeat is provided, and the case for normative defeat is revisited.

Read more less

Book SynopsisClaims that science may becoming 'self-fulfilling' through its impact on objects of study have recently risen to prominence. Despite radical statements about the supposed consequences of such accounts, however, the central notion of scientific self-fulfillment has remained obscure, leading to skewed views of its actual prevalence and significance. Self-Fulfilling Science illuminates this underexplored phenomenon, drawing on insights from philosophy of science to address questions of its conceptualization, prevalence, and significance. The book critically engages with the popular notion that economic theories of homo economicus exhibit self-fulfillment, and explores its relevance to various metaphysical, ethical, and epistemic issues. Extreme claims of fundamental incompatibility with our usual notions of scientific success are ill-founded. Instead, self-fulfillment’s true epistemic significance lies in more local, nuanced philosophical issues such as theory evaluation and the thesis of underdetermination. In presenting a novel framework, this book facilitates deeper engagement with the developing field of self-fulfilling science, and is of interest to philosophers of science, social scientists, and social constructionists.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOur ability to attribute mental states to others ("to mentalize") has been the subject of philosophical and psychological studies for a very long time, yet the role of language acquisition in the development of our mentalizing abilities has been largely understudied. This book addresses this gap in the philosophical literature. The book presents an account of how false belief reasoning is impacted by language acquisition, and it does so by placing it in the larger context of the issue, how language impacts cognition in general. The work provides the reader with detailed and critical literature reviews, and draws on them to argue that language acquisition helps false belief reasoning by boosting the ability to create schemata that facilitate processing of information in some social contexts. According to this framework, it is a combination of syntactic clues and cultural narratives that helps the child to solve the classic false belief task. The book provides a novel, original account of how language helps false belief reasoning, while also giving the reader a broad, precise and well-documented picture of the debate around some of the most fundamental issues in social cognition.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOur ability to understand others is one of the most central parts of human life, but explaining how this ability develops remains a controversial issue, exercising psychologists and philosophers alike. Within this literature the Paradox of False Belief Understanding remains one of the main open challenges. Based on an up to date overview of the empirical and theoretical literature, this book highlights the significance of this paradox for our understanding of the development of social cognition and provides a new explanation of it in the form of the Situational Mental File Account. Central features of the account are, firstly, identitfying three distinct stages in the development of belief understanding and, secondly, elaborating the role of both cognitive and situational factors as well as their interaction in the development of belief understanding. This account is also applied to the related phenomenon of pretend play, demonstrating the potential for a wider application of the account. This account generates both new empirical predications and a framework for further theoretical work, thereby providing a fruitful ground for further interdisciplinary research in this area.

Read more less

Book SynopsisRecent findings about the capabilities of smart animals such as corvids or octopi and novel types of artificial intelligence (AI), from social robots to cognitive assistants, are provoking the demand for new answers for meaningful comparison with other kinds of intelligence. This book fills this need by proposing a universal theory of intelligence which is based on causal learning as the central theme of intelligence. The goal is not just to describe, but mainly to explain queries like why one kind of intelligence is more intelligent than another, whatsoever the intelligence. Shiny terms like "strong AI," "superintelligence," "singularity" or "artificial general intelligence" that have been coined by a Babylonian confusion of tongues are clarified on the way.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOne the most interesting debates in moral philosophy revolves around the significance of empirical moral psychology for moral philosophy. Genealogical arguments that rely on empirical findings about the origins of moral beliefs, so-called debunking arguments, take center stage in this debate. Looking at debunking arguments based on evidence from evolutionary moral psychology, experimental ethics and neuroscience, this book explores what ethicists can learn from the science of morality, and what they cannot. Among other things, the book offers a new take on the deontology/utilitarianism debate, discusses the usefulness of experiments in ethics, investigates whether morality should be thought of as a problem-solving device, shows how debunking arguments can tell us something about the structure of philosophical debate, and argues that debunking arguments lead to both moral and prudential skepticism. Presenting a new picture of the relationship between empirical moral psychology and moral philosophy, this book is essential reading for moral philosophers and moral psychologists alike.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this volume, the author investigates and argues for, a particular answer to the question: What is the right way to logically analyze modalities from natural language within formal languages? The answer is: by formalizing modal expressions in terms of predicates. But, as in the case of truth, the most intuitive modal principles lead to paradox once the modal notions are conceived as predicates.The book discusses the philosophical interpretation of these modal paradoxes and argues that any satisfactory approach to modality will have to face the paradoxes independently of the grammatical category of the modal notion. By systematizing modal principles with respect to their joint consistency and inconsistency, Stern provides an overview of the options and limitations of the predicate approach to modality that may serve as a useful starting point for future work on predicate approaches to modality. Stern also develops a general strategy for constructing philosophically attractive theories of modal notions conceived as predicates. The idea is to characterize the modal predicate by appeal to its interaction with the truth predicate. This strategy is put to use by developing the modal theories Modal Friedman-Sheard and Modal Kripke-Feferman.Trade Review“The book can be considered a deep analysis of modal paradoxes, providing an overview of limitations of the predicate modality treatment. It is almost self-contained and presents a good starting point in research of the axiomatic theories of truth.” (Branislav Boričić, Mathematical Reviews, May 2017)Table of ContentsChapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Modality and Logic.- Chapter 3. Consistencies and Inconsistencies in Modal Logic.- Chapter 4. Modality and Axiomatic Theories of Truth.- Chapter 5. Conclusion.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book offers a philosophical approach to religion that acknowledges both the diversity of religions and the many and varied dimensions of the religious life. Rather than restricting itself to Christian theism, it covers a wide range of religious traditions, examining their beliefs in the context of the actual practice of the religious life. After outlining the aims of religion, the book focuses on claims to knowledge. What kinds of knowledge do religions purport to offer? In what idiom is it couched? From what sources do devotees draw their claims to knowledge? Are these sources reliable? Rather than trying to settle age-old questions about religious belief, the book offers its readers a set of criteria with which they can make informed decisions in matters of faith.Trade Review“This book is all about that philosophy and the knowledge behind religion. … This book is a good book on basic religious philosophy. While not dealing with any one particular religion, it finds basic principles on what makes a religion.” (Justin Dilliplane, Resolved for Christ, resolvedfc.blogspot.de, January, 2018)Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION.- 1. Religions, Philosophy, and Knowledge.- Part One: Religious Language and Thought.- 2. Religious Language.- 3. Modes of Thought.- 4. Theology / Dharmatology.- PART TWO: THE AIMS OF RELIGION.- 5. A Sacred Order.- 6. Individual Salvation.- 7. Knowledge and Skill.- 8. Embodied Knowledge.- PART THREE: MODES OF KNOWING.- MODE 1: INDICES, SYMBOLS, ICONS.- 9. Divination.- 10. Dreams and Visions.- MODE 2: KNOWLEDGE BY ACQUAINTANCE.- 11. Mysticism and Knowledge.- 12. Testing Mystical Knowledge.- 13. Self-Authentication.- MODE 3: DISCURSIVE REASON.- 14. Ontological Arguments.- 15. Cosmological Arguments.- 16. Teleological (Design) Arguments.- 17. The Role of Reason.- MODE 4: TESTIMONY (AUTHORITY).- 18. Possession and Prophecy.- 19. Revelation and Faith.- 20. Self-Authentication, Again.- Conclusion.- 21. Assessing Religious Beliefs.

Read more less

Book SynopsisMartin Heideggers „Sein und Zeit“ zählt zu den wichtigsten Werken des 20. Jahrhunderts und übt bis heute großen Einfluss aus. Der vorliegende Kommentar bietet eine systematische Interpretation dieses Werks mit Blick auf das Gesamtprojekt, von dem Heidegger nur die ersten beiden der geplanten sechs Abschnitte verwirklichte. Mit Bezug auf den aktuellen Forschungsstand wird Heideggers eigentümliche Terminologie allgemeinverständlich erklärt und so die systematische Auseinandersetzung mit den Kernthesen erleichtert. Der Kommentar macht dabei einerseits die ungeminderte Relevanz des Projekts von „Sein und Zeit“ verständlich und weist andererseits auf problematische (z.B. politische) Tendenzen im Text hin.Table of ContentsDanksagung.- 1 Einführung.- 2 Die Seinsfrage (§§ 1–4).- 3 Die Methode der Untersuchung (§§ 5–8).- 4 Dasein als In-der-Welt-sein (§§ 9–13).- 5 Die Weltlichkeit der Welt (§§ 14–24).- 6 Dasein als Mitsein und Selbstsein (§§ 25–27).- 7 Befindlichkeit, Verstehen, Rede, Verfallen (§§ 28–38).- 8 Angst, Sorge, Realität, Wahrheit (§§ 39–44).- 9 Das Ganzsein des Daseins und das Sein zum Tode (§§ 45–53).- 10 Der Ruf des Gewissens und das ursprüngliche Schuldigsein (§§ 54–60).- 11 Das eigentliche Selbstsein und die Zeitlichkeit (§§ 61–66).- 12 Die Zeitlichkeit der Alltäglichkeit (§§ 67–71).- 13 Die Geschichtlichkeit des Daseins (§§ 72–77).- 14 Zeitlichkeit und Innerzeitigkeit (§§ 78–83).- 15 Schlussbetrachtung.- Glossar altgriechischer Stellen.- Zitierte und weiterführende Literatur.- Register.

Read more less