Theories of Knowledge
Philosophy 202 Tues, Thurs.
Emmitt Adair
4-9-2002

Osprig and Psi Beta Handouts.

1. Empiricism- Knowledge comes primarily through the senses; hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, and smelling. (Locke, Berkeley, Aristotle.) A=A A¹ not A
2. Rationalism- knowledge comes primarily through reason. (Plato, Descartes.) (Socrates?)
There are some truths known through pure reason.
Significant truths can be known through reason.

Nagel- “What is it like to be a bat?” Factual vs. Experiential knowledge. We can think what it is like to be a bat, but we will never really know because we cannot experience what it is like to be a bat.
Immanuel Kant- (19th Century) (Kant and Plat are probably the two biggest influences in philosophy.) Hybrid of Rationalism & Empiricism.

a priori- independent of sense experience. 2+2=4, a triangle has 3 sides. Could any new sense experience or report change your mind about these things? Logically prior to experience. Logic and Math. If p then q. P/Q.
If Socrates is a man then Socrates is mortal.
Socrates is a man so Socrates is mortal.
P / Q
a posteriori- Dependent on sense experience. The board is green. Extreme temperatures burn human flesh. King is a dog.

Rationalists- a priori.
Empiricists- a posteriori.

Conceptual truths.
a priori.
(Hume, Empiricist.)
Analytic- (Relations of ideas.)
The predicate is contained in it’s subject.
“A bachelor is an unmarried male.”

a posteriori.
(Kant, Rationalist.)
Synthetic- (Matters of Fact.)
The predicate is not contained in the subject.
“John is a bachelor.”

Kant: “There are no analytical a posteriori truths.”
“There are some synthetic a priori truths.”
Example: “Every event has a cause.” (This is the presupposition of science.)

Skepticism vs. Common Sense.
Is it folly or irrational to doubt common sense?
Does it matter if it is all an illusion?
Happiness vs. Truth.