The linguistic argument for intellectualism
Synthese (forthcoming)
| Abstract | A central argument against Ryle’s (The concept of mind, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1949 ) distinction between propositional and non propositional knowledge has relied on linguistic evidence. Stanley and Williamson (J Philos 98:411–444, 2001 ) have claimed that knowing-how ascriptions do not differ in any relevant syntactic or semantic respect from ascriptions of propositional knowledge, concluding thereby that knowing-how ascriptions attribute propositional knowledge, or a kind thereof. In this paper I examine the cross-linguistic basis of this argument. I focus on the linguistic analysis of practical knowledge ascriptions in Modern Greek, although the issues raised are not restricted to one language. It is relatively straightforward to show that none of the three types of practical knowledge ascriptions in Modern Greek is an embedded question configuration, and hence Stanley and Williamson original claim is confined to certain languages only. This is not the end of the matter, however, since Stanley (Nous 45:207–238, 2011 ) argues that the equivalents of ‘knowing-how’ ascriptions in certain languages should be semantically analyzed as embedded questions despite their syntactic form. I argue that this fallback position faces a host of empirical and theoretical problems, in view of which it cannot bear the weight Stanley puts on it, supporting a conclusion about the kind of knowledge thereby attributed | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,865 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesCheng-Hung Tsai (2011). Linguistic Know-How: The Limits of Intellectualism. Theoria 77 (1):71-86.
Daniele Sgaravatti & Elia Zardini (2008). Knowing How to Establish Intellectualism. Grazer Philosophische Studien 77 (1):217-261.
Jessica Brown (2013). Knowing-How: Linguistics and Cognitive Science. Analysis 73 (2):220-227.
Elia Zardini (2008). Knowledge-How, True Indexical Belief, and Action. Proceedings of the Xxii World Congress of Philosophy 39 (2):291-299.
Greg Sax (2010). Having Know-How: Intellect, Action, and Recent Work on Ryle's Distinction Between Knowledge-How and Knowledge-That. Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 91 (4):507-530.
Eva-Maria Jung & Albert Newen (2010). Knowledge and Abilities: The Need for a New Understanding of Knowing-How. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 9 (1).
Adam Feltz & Chris Zarpentine (2010). Do You Know More When It Matters Less? Philosophical Psychology 23 (5):683–706.
John N. Williams (2008). Propositional Knowledge and Know-How. Synthese 165 (1):107 - 125.
Charles Wallis (2008). Consciousness, Context, and Know-How. Synthese 160 (1):123 - 153.
Gregor Damschen (2009). Dispositional Knowledge-How Versus Propositional Knowledge-That. In Gregor Damschen, Robert Schnepf & Karsten Stueber (eds.), Debating Dispositions. Issues in Metaphysics, Epistemology and Philosophy of Mind. de Gruyter.
Garry Young (2009). Case Study Evidence for an Irreducible Form of Knowing How To: An Argument Against a Reductive Epistemology. Philosophia 37 (2).
Ellen Fridland (2012). Knowing‐How: Problems and Considerations. European Journal of Philosophy 21 (1).
Christopher Winch (2009). Ryle on Knowing How and the Possibility of Vocational Education. Journal of Applied Philosophy 26 (1):88-101.
David Bzdak (2008). On Amnesia and Knowing-How. Techné 12 (1):36-47.
Michael Hannon (2013). 'Knows' Entails Truth. Journal of Philosophical Research 38:349-366.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2011-08-12Total downloads49 ( #22,195 of 556,808 )Recent downloads (6 months)3 ( #27,255 of 556,808 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
