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    Made withinDC&Austin
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    Perspectives
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    42
    Much of what we know yields only plausible (probabilis) r... — Carmelics
    Home/Skepticism
    HistoryEditSee Inverse

    Much of what we know yields only plausible (probabilis) rather than apodictic conclusions

    SkepticismTruth & Knowledge
    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    2 reasons against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.Much of what we know holds true only for the most part and so fails to be necessary
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    • 2.Often the premises of an argument cannot be traced back to self-evident principles
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    • 3.When premises cannot be traced to self-evident principles, the argument is dialectical rather than demonstrative
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    Reasons Against

    2 perspectives
    Reason against 1 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Descartes demonstrated that systematic doubt can isolate indubitable foundations, showing apodictic certainty is achievable beyond mere self-evident principles.
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    • 2.If the cogito and clear-and-distinct perception yield necessary truths, the scope of genuine knowledge is not limited to probabilistic conclusions.
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    • 3.Aquinas conflates the epistemic limitations of dialectical reasoning with an ontological claim about knowledge itself, equivocating between method and outcome.
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    Reason against 2 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Kant's analytic-synthetic distinction reveals that synthetic a priori judgments, such as mathematical and causal principles, yield necessary conclusions without tracing back to mere self-evidence.
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    • 2.If synthetic a priori knowledge is possible, then the failure to reduce premises to self-evident principles does not automatically render an argument merely dialectical rather than demonstrative.
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    Topics

    SkepticismTruth & Knowledge

    Notable Defenders

    AristotleancientAristotle and many of his followers believed they could prove that the world had always existed
    Aristotleancienttheory of the categories
    ancientSource of the idea that virtues are acquired through repeated action
    Aristotleancient
    Brian LeftowcontemporaryLeftow 2003
    Claude PanacciocontemporaryPanaccio 2001
    Dominik PerlercontemporaryPerler 2000
    Eleonore StumpcontemporaryStump 2010
    Gyula KlimacontemporaryKlima 2000
    Jeffrey BrowercontemporaryBrower and Brower-Toland 2008
    Jeffrey BrowercontemporaryBrower 2016
    John JenkinscontemporaryJenkins 1996
    Leo ElderscontemporaryElders 2009
    Paula BăltuțăcontemporaryBăltuță 2013
    Peter KingcontemporaryKing 2000
    Robert PasnaucontemporaryPasnau 1997 ch. 3
    Susan Brower-TolandcontemporaryBrower and Brower-Toland 2008
    Albert the Greatmedieval
    Anselmmedievalreferenced as proponent of the ontological argument rejected by Aquinas
    Thomas AquinasmedievalOn the Eternity of the World
    Thomas Aquinasmedieval
    Thomas Aquinasmedieval
    Thomas Aquinasmedieval
    Thomas AquinasmedievalST 1a2ae 17.4c; ST 1a 76.8c
    Thomas AquinasmedievalST 1a 2.3c; SCG I.10–11
    Thomas Aquinasmedieval
    Thomas AquinasmedievalOn Being and Essence 3.80–2
    Thomas AquinasmedievalSumma Theologiae 1a 1.1
    Thomas AquinasmedievalSumma theologiae, especially 2a2ae
    Thomas AquinasmedievalST 1a2ae 5.5–6
    Thomas AquinasmedievalSumma Theologiae 1a 78.4 ad 2
    Thomas AquinasmedievalSumma Theologiae 1a 13.2c, 13.5
    Thomas AquinasmedievalComm. Boethius De trinitate 2.3c

    Related

    Aquinas conflates the epistemic limitations of dialectical reasoning with an ont...Descartes demonstrated that systematic doubt can isolate indubitable foundations...If synthetic a priori knowledge is possible, then the failure to reduce premises...If the cogito and clear-and-distinct perception yield necessary truths, the scop...
    +4 moreShow less
    Kant's analytic-synthetic distinction reveals that synthetic a priori judgments,...Much of what we know holds true only for the most part and so fails to be necess...

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: aquinas
    View source passageHide passage
    This sort of foundationalist, infallibilist theory of knowledge is now thought of as Cartesian, but Descartes is simply following the Aristotelian tradition for which Aquinas became the preeminent spokesman. For Aquinas himself, however, the account just described serves as an aspirational ideal rather than a description of something we have actually attained. In practice, even where we have demonstrative knowledge, we usually cannot trace the principles all the way back to ultimate first prin
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    Often the premises of an argument cannot be traced back to self-evident principl...
    When premises cannot be traced to self-evident principles, the argument is diale...
    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (1 for, 2 against)
    Edits
    1 edit