Reflection and the Stability of Belief: Essays on Descartes, Hume, and ReidA unifying theme of Loeb's work is epistemological - that Descartes and Hume advance theories of knowledge that rely on a substantial 'naturalistic' component, adopting one or another member of a cluster of psychological properties of beliefs as the goal of inquiry and the standard for assessing belief-forming mechanisms. Thus Loeb shows a surprising affinity between the epistemologies of the two figures -- surprising because they are often thought of as polar opposites in this respect.Descartes and Hume are unique in that their philosophical texts are accessible beyond just a narrow audience in the history of philosophy; their ideas continue to be a vital part of the field at large. This volume will thus appeal to advanced students and scholars not just in the history of early modern philosophy but in epistemology and other core areas of the discipline. |
Contents
Introduction | 3 |
1 Is There Radical Dissimulation in Descartes Meditations? 1986 | 34 |
2 The Priority of Reason in Descartes 1990 | 58 |
3 The Cartesian Circle 1992 | 89 |
On Securing Settled Doxastic States 1998 | 117 |
5 Integrating Humes Accounts of Belief and Justification 2001 | 143 |
6 Humes Explanations of Meaningless Beliefs 2001 | 165 |
7 Hume on Stability Justification and Unphilosophical Probability 1995 | 184 |
8 Humes Agentcentered Sentimentalism 2003 | 214 |
9 What Is Worth Preserving in the Kemp Smith Interpretation of Hume? 2009 | 245 |
10 Psychology Epistemology and Skepticism in Humes Argument about Induction 2006 | 270 |
11 Locke and British Empiricism forthcoming | 288 |
12 The Naturalisms of Hume and Reid 2007 | 308 |
| 333 | |
| 353 | |
Other editions - View all
Reflection and the Stability of Belief: Essays on Descartes, Hume, and Reid Louis E. Loeb Limited preview - 2010 |
Reflection and the Stability of Belief: Essays on Descartes, Hume, and Reid Louis E. Loeb No preview available - 2010 |
Common terms and phrases
achieved agent appears argument arise beliefs based body Book causal inference cause chapter circle claim clear and distinct clearly cognitive conception conclusion consider considerations constitute correction custom deceiver demonstration Descartes discussion disposition distinct perception doctrine doubt effect Enquiry epistemic epistemological evidence example existence experience explain external fact faculties feeling follows give ground hence holds human Hume Hume’s hypothesis idea imagination inductive inference instinct interpretation irresistible judgment justification Kemp Smith kind knowledge leads material matter meaning mechanisms Meditation memory mind moral nature necessary objects observed operation paragraph passages perceived person philosophical point of view position possible present principles priority probability problem produce proposition provides psychological question reason reference reflection Reid relation requires resemblance result role rule sense sense-perception sentiment skeptical stability steady suggest suppose sympathize takes theory things tion Treatise true truth truth rule understanding University unshakability writes