Epistemic Closure Principles Epistemic closure principles state that the members of an epistemic set (such as propositions known by me) bear a given relation (such as known deductive entailment) only to other members of that…
Browsing CategoryWiki Philosophy
Naturalistic Epistemology
Naturalistic Epistemology Naturalistic epistemology is an approach to the theory of knowledge that emphasizes the application of methods, results, and theories from the empirical sciences. It contrasts with approaches that emphasize a priori conceptual analysis…
Gianni Vattimo (1936− )
Gianni Vattimo (1936− ) Gianni Vattimo is an Italian philosopher and cultural commentator. He studied in Turin, Italy with Luigi Pareyson, and in Heidelberg under Hans-Georg Gadamer. Central to Vattimo’s philosophy are the existentialist and…
Aesop’s Fables
Aesop’s Fables With the possible exception of the New Testament, no works written in Greek are more widespread and better known than Aesop’s Fables. For at least 2500 years they have been teaching people of…
Phenomenology and Time-Consciousness
Phenomenology and Time-Consciousness Edmund Husserl, founder of the phenomenological movement, employs the term “phenomenology” in its etymological sense as the activity of giving an account (logos) of the way things appear (phainomenon). Hence, a phenomenology…
Ayn Rand (1905—1982)
Ayn Rand (1905—1982) Ayn Rand was a major intellectual of the twentieth century. Born in Russia in 1905 and educated there, she immigrated to the United States after graduating from university. Upon becoming proficient in…
Mathematical Nominalism
Mathematical Nominalism Mathematical nominalism can be described as the view that mathematical entities—entities such as numbers, sets, functions, and groups—do not exist. However, stating the view requires some care. Though the opposing view (that mathematical…
Clarence Irving Lewis (1883—1964)
Clarence Irving Lewis (1883—1964) C. I. Lewis was a major American pragmatist. He was educated at Harvard, taught at the University of California from 1911 to 1919 and at Harvard from 1920 until his retirement…
Metaepistemology
Metaepistemology Metaepistemology is, roughly, the branch of epistemology that asks questions about first-order epistemological questions. It inquires into fundamental aspects of epistemic theorizing like metaphysics, epistemology, semantics, agency, psychology, responsibility, reasons for belief, and beyond….
Evolutionary Ethics
Evolutionary Ethics Evolutionary ethics tries to bridge the gap between philosophy and the natural sciences by arguing that natural selection has instilled human beings with a moral sense, a disposition to be good. If this…