If grasping a rule already requires a disposition to apply it (as Kripkenstein's communitarian reading suggests), then Carroll's Tortoise is not distinguishing epistemic types but exhibiting a defect in rule-comprehension itself.

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Reasons For

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Reason for

1.Rule-following requires practical know-how, not just explicit knowledge. The Tortoise assumes rules can be grasped through logical propositions alone.
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2.Carroll's infinite regress arises precisely because he treats rule-application as needing justification. But dispositions don't need justification—they just operate.
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3.If someone truly grasps a rule yet lacks the disposition to apply it, we'd say they don't actually understand it. This shows comprehension and disposition are inseparable.
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Reasons Against

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Reason against

1.Dispositions can be triggered incorrectly or misaligned with rule content. Having a disposition to do X doesn't guarantee grasping what X-following requires.
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2.Kripkenstein's communitarian view still faces the problem: how do dispositions of a community constitute rule-correctness rather than just shared behavior?
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3.The Tortoise distinguishes reasoning from practice—a real distinction. Conflating them as a 'comprehension defect' dissolves rather than solves the problem.
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Key Terms

Carroll's Tortoise(as an example used to illustrate the problem being discussed): A famous logical puzzle created by Lewis Carroll featuring a conversation between Achilles and a Tortoise about whether following rules logically requires an infinite chain of rules—used to show problems with how we understand reasoning.
Communitarian reading(describing Kripkenstein's approach to rules): An interpretation of a philosopher's work that emphasizes how community and shared agreement are essential to meaning and understanding, rather than individual knowledge alone.
Disposition(as used in metaphysics): A tendency or potential for something to behave in a certain way under specific conditions—like how sugar has the disposition to dissolve when placed in water.
Epistemic: "Epistemic" relates to knowledge—how we know things, what counts as knowledge, and whether we can trust what we believe to be true. It comes from the Greek word for knowledge and is used to describe questions about the reliability and validity of our beliefs and understanding. For example, "epistemic humility" means acknowledging the limits of what you can actually know for certain.
Kripkenstein(as the subject of the statement's main argument): A nickname for a particular interpretation of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein's ideas about rules, developed by Saul Kripke. It suggests that understanding a rule requires being part of a community that agrees on how to follow it.
Rule-comprehension(as a potential defect being discussed): The ability to understand what a rule means and how to apply it correctly.

Connections

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Truth & Knowledge1 linked Philosophy of Language1 linked

Carroll's infinite regress arises precisely because he treats rule-application a...Dispositions can be triggered incorrectly or misaligned with rule content. Havin...

Details

Type: claim
Perspectives: 2 (1 for, 1 against)
Edits: 1 edit