What Place for the A Priori?

by Michael J. Shaffer (Editor), Michael L. Veber (Editor)

Overview

Before the 20th century, the concept of a priori knowledge — knowledge based in reason and reflection rather than experience — found nearly universal acceptance. By the early 20th century, however, philosophers were skeptical of the idea that there was any nontrivial existence of a priori knowledge. Fifty years later, it was fashionable to doubt it existed at all. The articles in this book tackle a priori knowledge from every angle — does it exist? what might it be like? what is its relation to empirical knowledge? — and other topics of perennial interest.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780812696608
Publisher:	Open Court Publishing Company
Publication date:	04/01/2011
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

Table of Contents

Contributors vii

Introduction Michael L. Veber Michael J. Shaffer 1

1 No Place for the A Priori Michael Devitt 9

2 Evidence-based Psychotherapy: Values and the A Priori Edward Erwin 33

3 The Philosophical Insignificance of A Priori Knowledge David Papineau 61

4 Albert Casullo's A Priori Justification Anthony Brueckner 85

5 Experience as a Natural Kind: Reflections on Albert Casullo's A Priori Justification Robin Jeshion 93

6 Reply to my Critics: Anthony Brueckner and Robin Jeshion Albert Casullo 111

7 Epistemological Empiricism Harold I. Brown 137

8 A Dilemma for Naturalized Epistemology? Shane Oakley 157

9 A Reconsideration of the Status of Newton's Laws David J. Stump 177

10 The Constitutive A Priori and Epistemic Justification Michael J. Shaffer 193

11 A Priori Conjectural Knowledge in Physics: The Comprehensibility of the Universe Nicholas Maxwell 211

12 Terror of Knowing: Can an Empiricist Avoid Unwanted A Priori Knowledge? Ümit D. Yalçin 241

Index 259