McDowell's attempt to dissolve the dilemma via 'second nature' merely relocates the regress, since the acquisition of conceptual capacities in Bildung itself requires prior epistemic grounding that foundationalism cannot supply non-doxastically.
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McDowell(referring to the philosopher's position on perception)
John McDowell is a contemporary philosopher who writes about how we perceive and understand the world through our senses and thoughts.
Regress(as used in epistemology and logic)
An infinite chain of reasoning where each explanation requires another explanation, like asking 'why?' infinitely and never reaching a final answer.
Second nature(as used in McDowell's philosophy)
A skill or way of thinking that becomes so natural through practice that you do it automatically, like how typing becomes effortless after years of doing it.
dilemma(Used in classical rhetoric and logic; discussed by Valla in the context of the Protagoras–Euathlus lawsuit.)
An argument structured so that two mutually exhaustive alternatives each independently entail the same conclusion, leaving the opponent no escape.
foundationalism(Presented as the conclusion of the epistemic regress argument)
The epistemological view that some beliefs have justification without depending on other beliefs, serving as the non-inferential base for all other justified beliefs