SAGE Open | |
Taking Experiential Givenism Seriously: | |
Shane J. Ralston1  | |
关键词: experience; cognitivism; neuroscience; foundationalism; Myth of the Given; metaphysics; epistemology; John Dewey; | |
DOI : 10.1177/2158244013497031 | |
学科分类:社会科学、人文和艺术(综合) | |
来源: Sage Journals | |
【 摘 要 】
In the past few years, a small but intense debate has transpired on the margins of mainstream scholarship in the discipline of Philosophy, particularly within the subfield of American pragmatism. While most philosophical pragmatists dedicate their attention to questions concerning how ideas improve experience (or the theoryâpractice continuum), those participating in this exchange have shown greater concern for an issue that is, at its core, a theoretical matter: Does the theory of experience espoused by the classic American philosopher John Dewey succumb to what contemporary analytic philosophersâfor instance, Wilfred Sellars, Donald Davidson, and John McDowellâcall the Myth of the Given? One commentator, Scott Aikin, claims that Dewey relied on noninferential and nonconceptual content or givens as perceptual inputs for cognitive experience. The upshot of Aikinâs objection is that these experiential givens constitute a proxy epistemological foundation for the beliefs that flow from inquiryâa position clearly in conflict with Deweyâs commitment to antifoundationalism. The objection assumes a slightly different form in the hands of another scholar of American pragmatism, Colin Koopman. Gregory Pappas and David Hildebrand respond to Koopmanâs version of the objection. The goals of this article are to clarify the objection, highlight the stakes in the debate, identify misunderstandings of Deweyâs experiential metaphysics on both sides, and determine why the experiential givenism objection merits serious philosophical scrutiny in the future.
【 授权许可】
CC BY
【 预 览 】
Files | Size | Format | View |
---|---|---|---|
RO201902025934708ZK.pdf | 107KB | download |