Concepts

Question 1

What are the properties of matters of fact?

Answer 1

They are propositions which are revealed to us through the empirical evidence we collect in the world around us.
- They are not true by definition
- They are verifiable through scientific clarification.
- Can only be derived from experience
- Synthetic truths, discovered in an a priori way.
- The opposite is concievable

Question 2

What are the properties of relations of ideas?

Answer 2

They are propositions revealed through pure reason.
- they do not tell us anything about the state of the world.
- The opposite of these analytic truths must be false, as they are a contradiction in reason.
- They are verified a priori, and are analytic truths.
- They are true by definition, (Tautology)

Question 3

What does Hume’s fork claim?

Answer 3

Hume’s fork claims that knowledge can only be a relation of ideas or a matter of fact. If someone is claiming it is any other way, then it would be incorrect, and a meaningless statement. (This is used against the Cogito, and the idea that innate ideas exist)

Question 4

What is the criticism of Plato’s ‘Slave boy argument’?

Answer 4

The boy in the story could have been using his logical reason, and therefore to say he hadn’t learnt the truths of mathematics is incorrect. Questioning is a common process used in teaching.

Question 5

What is a reply to the criticism of Plato’s ‘slave boy’ argument?

Answer 5

Someone may be able to say that the rational abilities and framework required to reason in this way are innate, something similar to Leibniz’ marble block argument.

Question 6

What is Plato’s ‘world of the forms’ concept?

Answer 6

It is the concept that at one point, before the beginning of our existence on earth, our souls experiences the entirety of different concepts in another world, this world being ‘the world of the forms’. For example, the notion of beauty cannot be fully defines in an objective way, as we can only ever catch glimpses of beauty in different objects, and in different ways. E.g., a well-decorated house may be beautiful in the same way a person is beautiful.

Question 7

What is a criticism of Plato’s world of the forms?

Answer 7

It has no scientific basis, or empirical basis. It also cannot be reasoned there with much success, and therefore it can only remain a theory.

Question 8

What was Leibniz’ ‘marble block’ theory of innatism?

Answer 8

Leibniz believed that the mind was much like a marble block, in the sense that we have different abilities we are born with which aid us in the uncovering of truth. For example, our reason. In the same way a marble block has different veins, and tendencies to fall a certain way when the marble is hit by a chisel, our knowledge is shaped by our experience.

Question 9

What did Leibniz believe were innate beliefs?

Answer 9

Leibniz believed that necessary truths are innate. These are tautologies, or truths which are uncoverable by reason. E.g., 2 + 2 = 4 or, a bachelor is an unmarried man.

Question 10

What was Locke’s three arguments against Leibniz?

Answer 10

1st argument: Universal knowledge (Children and idiots)
2nd argument: transparency of ideas (Absorbing the radio)
3rd argument: Distinguishability (Elements of Ockham’s razor)

Question 11

What was Locke’s first criticism against Leibniz?

Answer 11

Universal knowledge:
If knowledge was innate within humans, then we would all have this knowledge. Because not everyone has universal knowledge of logical laws such as ‘law of identity’ and ‘law of non-contradiction’, then we cannot say innate ideas exist.

Question 12

What is the logical law of identity?

Answer 12

‘Whatever is, is,’ or ‘a=a’

Question 13

What is the logical law of non-contradiction?

Answer 13

‘Whatever is, cannot also not be at the same time,’ or ‘ a cannot = b, if a and be are different in any way,’.

Question 14

What is a reply to Locke’s first argument against Leibniz?

Answer 14

Children and idiots do have the idea, they just do not know how to express or comprehend it. A child knows the teddy they are holding cannot be in their hand but also in the attic at the same time.

Question 15

What is Locke’s second argument against innatism?

Answer 15

Transparency of ideas:
This is the belief that all ideas in the mind must once have passed through consciously to the thinker, and can be accessed through introspection. A.K.A., nothing gets in without us being aware of it at some point.

Question 16

What is a reply to Locke’s second argument against innatism?

Answer 16

Descartes replied to this criticism, as he also had ideas about innate beliefs, which stated that he believed the subconscious could also bring ideas into our minds without us being consciously aware of it. for example, if we are talking to someone at an event, and hear the radio playing…

Question 17

What is Locke’s 3rd argument against innatism?

Answer 17

This is the Indistinguishability argument.
Locke argued that because there is no way to identify a piece of knowledge as either innate or not innate, there is no reason to identify them. This also applies to the concept of Ockham’s Razor.

Question 18

What is a reply to Locke’s 3rd criticism of innatism?

Answer 18

Leibniz states that we can distinguish innate knowledge from experiential knowledge, as innate knowledge are necessary truths. Therefore, we can understand a way to distinguish them.

Question 19

What is David Hume’s Tabula rasa theory?

Answer 19

David Hume’s tabula rasa theory was the theory that we are all born with a blank slate of a mind, which gradually builds up concepts and ideas through experience. He was a key empiricist, which means he only believed he could gain knowledge from experience.
Latin: ‘Tabula rasa’ = blank slate.

Question 20

What is David Hume’s copy principle?

Answer 20

This is the belief that all ideas in our minds are a conceptual copy of what we experience in the world.
It is the belief that all ideas are either ‘simple’ or ‘complex’
- Complex ideas can be broken down into simple concepts (A tree giving the concept of green)
- simple concepts can be combined to make complex concepts (a golden mountain)
- All ideas can be augmented or diminished. (A giant, or an elf)

Question 21

What is support for the tabula rasa theory?

Answer 21

• People who lack a certain sense lack a copies concept of an experience relating to that sense. A permanently blind person doesn’t have the idea of red.
• Hume’s fork
• Is it impossible for us to think of an idea without a corresponding sense impression.

Question 22

What are sense impressions?

Answer 22

Another word for the idea or feeling we receive and remember when we have a sense experience. We can have outward impressions, that being of the 5 typical senses. E.g., tasting coffee. We can also have inward impressions generated by our emotion, E.g., feeling sad.

Question 23

What is the criticism of the tabula rasa concerning the merging of simple ideas?

Answer 23

Some may argue that it is possible to gain a simple idea without a simple impression. for example, if we have 2 shades of blue, and wish to find the middle one, some may say we can simply combine the two shades to visualise a third shade. However, does this mean that shade of blue is a complex idea? If it is, how can we identify what is a simple concept or a complex concept?

Question 24

What is a reply to the criticism of the tabula rasa concerning the merging of simple ideas?

Answer 24

Is it really possible to visualise the blue? We could argue that we don’t actually SEE the shade of blue in our minds, therefore we cannot say it is a fully formed idea. And the only way we can truly prove if this is the case is to verify yourself.

THIS NEEDS WORK

Question 25

What is the criticism of the Copy Principle stating that we cannot know relational concepts through the use of experience.

Answer 25

where did we learn the concept of ‘sameness’? what about ‘closeness’? What about ‘Apartness’? All of these concepts relate to the relation of objects. This cannot be sensed in the way in which Hume is talking about, because according to him we need a sense experience to gain a concept of it.

Question 26

What is a reply to this criticism?

Answer 26

Surely we can sense closeness in reference to reason and logic. Sameness can be explained through the law of identity, and closeness is not an objective concept. Red can be measured through wavelength, and mountain in height and depth and such. However, closeness is not a concept we all share in the same capacity.