innatism content

Question 1

what is a priori and a prosteriori knowledge

Answer 1

a priori = knowledge acquired without need of experience
a prosteriori = knowledge which is acquired with experience

Question 2

what is an analytic vs synthetic proposition

Answer 2

analytic = true by definition
synthetic = true in virtue of how the world is

Question 3

what is a neccessary vs contingent truth

Answer 3

necessary = must be true - opposite is a logical contradiction = square has 4 sides
contingent = must be true - oppositie is not a logical contradiction = sky is blue

Question 4

whatis rationalism vs empiricism with examples of philosophers

Answer 4

• rationalism = reason is the source of our knowledge - and innate knowledge too
  —> plato, descartes
• empiricism = experience is the source of our knowledge - no innate knowledge
  —> locke, hume, berkeley

Question 5

what is prepositional knowledge

Answer 5

• knowledge that something is the case
• knowledge of truthful sentances

Question 6

what is innatism

Answer 6

the claim that is some prepositional knowledge is a priori and within us from birth

Question 7

what are the 4 arguments for innatism

Answer 7

• argument from recollection - plato
• argument from necessary truths - liebniz
• missing shade of blue - liebniz
• synthetic a priori knowledge - kant

Question 8

what are 4 arguments against innatism

Answer 8

• argument from universal assent - locke
• mind is a tabula rasa - locke
• copy principle, law of identity - hume
• fork - hume

Question 9

what is claimed to plato about recollection in his dialogue “meno”

Answer 9

• new knowledge is always impossible to acquire because if we already know the knowledge, we will have no reason to inquire more about it and if we do not know then we wont be able to judge whether the answer is right or wrong because we would lack the knowledge

Question 10

what is a paradox

Answer 10

a self contradictory statement

Question 11

what is platos response to the paradox put forward in “meno”

Answer 11

• learning is just a process of recollection
• our souls = immortal and come from the realm of forums
• so we already contain all of our knowledge
• we faintly recall this when we encounter things or are asked questions we faintly recall this

Question 12

what does socrates try to show in “meno” through the slave boy

Answer 12

• socrates can tease the knowledge of geometry out of an uneducated slave boy by asking guided, closed questions
• shows that knowledge is a process of recollection where the knowledge is innate but just need to be asked the right questions

Question 13

write the formal version of the argument from recollection P1, P2, P3, C1, C2, C3

Answer 13

P1) the slave boy has not been taught about geometry
P2) Socrates only asks questions, without teaching or explaining so he doesnt teach the boy anything
P3) after the discussion the boy has some geometrical issues
C1) therefore, the boys knowledge of geometry didnt come from teaching but rather experience
C2) therefore, the boy must have some innate knowledge of geometry
C3) therefore, there is innate knowledge and learning is a process of recollection

Question 14

what are some issues with socrates demonstration in “meno”

Answer 14

• the boy may have learnt from elsewhere
• the questions were close so socrates is guiding him
• the boy couldve used logic/reasoning/deduction not memory
• the discussion could be imagines so this may not work in reality

Question 15

plato claims that our immortal souls exist in the real of forms - what is this, what are forms

Answer 15

• forms = unchanging essance of things
  —> form of justice, animals, numbers ect
• plato wanted to understand how it is thay we recognise distinct objects as being a part of the same group
  —> we recollect that they are the imperfect examples of the perfect froms they represent
  —> e.g we never experience two-ness but we recognise when there are two things

Question 16

what does platos cave anaolgy say and represent

Answer 16

• allegory for a philosophers journey from the physical realm of opinion and falsehood to the realm where they can see the truth
• the physical world we experience is a copy of the real world which only philosophers can access through reflection and contemplation
• the cave = when the released prisoners return to their friends in the cave to help them, they are deemed useless and silly

Question 17

what is the formal version of the argument against innate ideas from locke —> universal assent

Answer 17

P1) if a concept or item of knowledge is innate, it must be universally known
P2) for something to be known it has to be assented to —> to agree with, accept and be aware of the statement
P3) children and “idiots” are not able to assent to basuc principles such as the law of identity and non contradiction
C1) therefore, there are no concepts or items of knowledge that are innate

Question 18

give two reasons why lockes argument against innatism about universal assent is unconvincing and a reason why it is convincing

Answer 18

• makes logical sense
  BUT
• there will always be exceptions to a theory and a well thought out one would account for them
• we can know things without being conscious of them so P2 (for something to be known it must be assented to) is wrong

Question 19

what is the law of identity and non contradiction and who cannot assent to these examples

Answer 19

• identity = whatever is, is
• non contradictin = it is impossible for the same thing to be and not to be
• children + idiots —> those with severe mental illnesses or learning disabilities

Question 20

what does empiricism claim about being a tabula rasa and what are the two places we get experience from

Answer 20

• being born a blank slate at birth and through experience, we come to know the world
• 2 places we get experience from
  1) the external world —> gained via our senses
  2) our internal operations —> knowledge is gained from experiencing our own minds

Question 21

what is the formal argument from liebniz about necessary truths P1, P2, P3, C1, C2

Answer 21

P1) we have knowledge on some necessary truths
P2) sense experience only provides us with information about particular instances
P3) necessary truths go beyond particular instances
C1) therefore, necessary truths cannot be known through sense experience
C2) therefore, necessary truths must be in some sense present in the mind —> innate

Question 22

what are some examples of necessary truths that locke thinks are innate

Answer 22

• law of identity, non contradiction
  -liebnzes law = if two things share all the same properties then they must be the same thing
• the causual principle = that everything must have a cause

Question 23

what is liebnizes veined block of marble analogy

Answer 23

• the mind is like a viened block of marble
• there are veins which shape the way a sculptor will sculpt a slate of marble
• similarly there are innate necessary truths which shape the way we experience the world
• the way a sculptor chisles away at a block of marble, so too does experience chisel away at our mind to create our knowledge
• in this way room is made for the role of experience in being the source of our knowledge but it is not the source of all our knowledge

Question 24

summarise lockes view of the mind

Answer 24

• mind is transparent —> for something to be in it we must assent to it
• there is no universal assent to knowledge claims —> so there is no innate knowledge
• we cannot distinguish between innate knowledge and knowledge from experience —> they feel the same

Question 25

summarise liebnizs view of the mind

Answer 25

- the mind isnt transparent ---> we dont have to be aware of everything in our mind - there is universal assent to knowledge ---> only knowledge of necessary truths is innate, we are simply unaware of our assent to these - we can distinguish between innate knowledge and knowledge from experience ---> innate knowledge is of necessary truths and knowledge from experience is contingent

Question 26

what is humes copy principle - what are impressions and ideas and simple ideas

Answer 26

- we have no completely original ideas even in our imagination - impressions = the direct experiences of something, clear - ideas = our memories/reflections/copies of impressions, unclear, less vivid, fainter simple ideas = single copies of sense impressions, used to create complex ideas

Question 27

how does Hume claim we get the idea of God from experience

Answer 27

- impressions of the qualities of God which we can see around us and combine that with our impression of finite things such as our own existance to create infinity

Question 28

what is the missing shade of blue argument and how might hume respond

Answer 28

- on a colour chart, one colour is missing - we can form an idea of the missing shade - it is an idea that has not come directly from an impression - implies that humes copy principle is incorrect about how we gain ideas through experience - humes response would be that it is just one unique case and just one example cannot prove the theory to be incorrect - also to defend hume, missing colour is probably a combo of the two shades either side ---> still an issue though because colous are simple ideas so cannot be made up of other simple ideas, they have to be founded in experience

Question 29

what are the two prongs of humes fork

Answer 29

- if any prepositional knowledge doesnt fit into either of the catagories then it cannot be prepositional knowledge and is "consigned to the flames" 1) relations of ideas/concepts ---> necessary, analytic, a priori 2) matters of fact ---> contingent, synthetic, a prosteriori

Question 30

what is a compatibalist - kant

Answer 30

- there are innate truths mixed with our experiences of the world which shape all our knowledge claims

Question 31

what is synthetic a priori knowledge for kant

Answer 31

SP = true or false in virtue of how the world is ---> not a logical contradiction to deny them AK = knowledge known prior to experience - SAPK = knowledge of the world known prior to experiencing the world ---> time, space, causuality