Epistemology - Rationalism vs Empiricism

Question 1

What is an analytic truth?

Answer 1

An analytic truth is true in virtue of the meaning of the words

E.g. a bachelor is an unmarried man

Question 2

What is a synthetic truth?

Answer 2

A synthetic truth is true in virtue of how the world is

E.g. grass is green

Question 3

What is a priori knowledge?

Answer 3

A priori is knowledge that can be acquired without experience of the external world, via thought alone

E.g. working out that a triangle has 3 sides

Question 4

What is a posteriori knowledge?

Answer 4

A posteriori is knowledge that can only be acquired via sense experience of the external world

E.g. boiling water to see if it boils at 100°C

Question 5

Outline Meno’s square

Answer 5

Plato attempts to prove we are born with knowledge from past lives that experience triggers to recall

Socrates draws a square that is 2x2ft
Uneducated slave boy agrees its area is 4ft
Socrates draws a square whose area is 8ft
Slave boy believes the length of the sides are 4ft (incorrect)
Uses line of socratic questioning until slave boy correctly answers, realising sides are equal to diagonal of initial square

Question 6

Outline Leibniz’s necessary truths argument

Answer 6

A posteriori can only tell us about specific instances, not what ‘must’ be - according to empricism you gotta check 2+2 to know it’s 4 since no amount of experience will tell you what must be; we know 2+2=4 every time so knowledge of necessary truths must be innate and we know them by paying attention to our minds

Question 7

How does Locke object the notion of innate knowledge?

Answer 7

• innate knowledge would be universal
• we lack innate concepts (since propositional knowledge relies on concepts, can’t have 1+2 without have concepts for 1, + and 2)
• tabula rasa; knowledge comes from sensation and reflection (experience of world and our own mind)
• simple, complex and abstracy ideas

Question 8

Outline the notion that innate knowledge would be universal

Answer 8

If innate knowledge existed, everyone would have to have it - in the example of Meno’s square, children and idiots don’t have knowledge of geometric theorems, therefore not universal, therefore not innate

Question 9

How does Locke argue against innate concepts?

Answer 9

If we lack innate concepts, we lack innate knowledge:

Newborn babies don’t have any concepts beyond those experienced in the womb (warmth, pain, etc)
Descartes uses the concept of god as an innate concept, but babies don’t have the concept of god, and there are atheist societies out there

Question 10

What is Leibniz’s response to Locke’s argument against innate concepts?

Answer 10

He argues that it is possible that babies don’t have conscious knowledge of innate concepts, but they have them. Identity (a=a) and impossibility (something can’t be true and false) are innate, but since babies are inarticulate, they can’t express this. And atheist societies may lack a word for god, but not the concept which they have subconsciously

Question 11

Outline Locke’s tabula rasa

Answer 11

The mind at birth is a blank slaye thay we build upon via experience:
Sensation - sense perception
Reflection - thinking, believing; experience of the mind

Question 12

How does Locke explain humans having the concept of god without experiencing god?

Answer 12

Humans can form complex concepts from simpler concepts

The sky has the simple concept of blue that we experience visually

Complex concepts are made of the simple concepts; the sea combines the concept of cold and blue

We can also abstract concepts to make the concept of beautiful from several experiences of beauty