Innatism Flashcards
What is Innatism?
Innatism argues that some knowledge is not derived from experience, but is part of the structure of the mind from birth.
Analytic and synthetic statements vs. neccesary and contingesnt truths
Analytic statemets are true by definition. Synthetic statements are true by vvirrtue of how the world is. Neccesary truths are true in all possible worlds. Contingent truths are not possible in all possible worlds.
Meno’s paradox
You cannot gain new knowledge. If you know the answer to a question you cant gain new knowledge from asking it. But if you dont know the answer, you cant ever know if you have found the right answer because you lack the knowledge to see if its correct
Plato’s response to Meno + His process of learning.
Plato says our souls are immortal and already contain all our knowledge. Prior to our birth our souls existed in the realm of forms. He says learining is the process of recollection, like we know what a perfect circle is because our souls have experienced it already.
Plato’s slave boy argument
In this Socrates is teasing out generic info from the slave boy without teaching or explaining. His aim was to demonstrate that the boy was merely recalling the knowledge that he innately has, and that he just nedded to be asked the right questions.
Issues:
Issues with the slave boy argument
The boy seesm to just be agreeing with Plato. The boy could have been taught elsewhere. Plato seesm to be teachinf him or passing on information to him. The boy may have just used logic/reasoning. Its possible it didnt happen this way.
Leibniz’s argument from neccesary truths
He says that our sense only provide info on specific instances, but neccesary truths are true in all possible worlds. So neccesary truths cant be completely known from our senses so must, in some sense, already be present in the mind. In the same way sculptures use natural veins of marblw to uncover sculptures, we have ‘potential’ knowledge oof neccesary truths that can be uncovered through skill/experience.
Empiricist issues including:
Locke’s No universal assent argument
If there were innate ideas, they’d be universal, such as the principle of contradiction. For somthing to be known it must be assented to, but children and “idiots” cant assent to fundamental ideas, so innate knowledge cant be real. Leibniz responds by saying that everyone does assent to these fundamental ideas, but not explicitly.
Issues including:
Locke’s Transparancy of ideas argument
For somehting to be in the mind we must be aware of it. (transparant box). So it make no sense to say children/
“idiots” use a principle they dont assent to. We could argue that most our mental content is subconcious and that there are ideas that we are unaware of (such asd denial or habits we accidentally pick up).
Issues including:
Locke’s Distinction between innate ideas and othe ideas
If they feel the same, why have two competing explinations, surely its easier to say we are learning from experience. Leibniz says its not about how it feels, but that we know neccesary truths are innate because we have to go beyond our senses to understand them.
Issues including:
Tabula rasa +
Locke’s two ways we aquire knowledge.
This means blank slate. This is the view that when we are born our minds have no content whatsoever. Locke says all knowledge comes from experience: 1) The external world, through senses, and 2) our internal opeations, love/memories/anger.
Simple vs. Complex ideas
Ideas vs. Imprressions
Simple ideas cme from sense experience. A complex idea is a combination of simple and/or other complex ideas. Ideas ae memories of impessions (faint) and impressions ae the direct experinec of soemthing (vivid).
Copy principle
All ideas are copies of impressions. We can only ever think about somehting we have experienced.
