Essays in Philosophy and Its HistoryIn pulling these essays together for inclusion in one volume I do not believe that I have done them violence. Since they originally appeared at different times and places they constitute a scattered object. Never theless, to the author's eye they have unities of theme and development which, if they fail to give them the true identity of the book, may (to adapt a metaphor from Hume) generate those smooth and easy transi tions of the imagination which arouse dispositions appropriate to sur veying such identical objects. For the juxtaposition of historical and systematic studies I make no apology. It has been suggested, with a friendly touch of malice, that if Science and Metaphysics consists, as its subtitle proclaims, of Variations on Kantian Themes, it would be no less accurate to sub-title my historical essays 'variations on Sellars ian themes'. But this is as it should be. Phi losophy is a continuing dialogue with one's contemporaries, living and dead, and if one fails to see oneself in one's respondent and one's re spondent in oneself, there is confrontation but no dialogue. The historian, as Collingwood points out, becomes Caesar's contemporary by learning to think Caesar's thoughts. And it is because Plato thought so many of our thoughts that he is our contemporary and companion. |
Contents
Reason and the Art of Living in Plato | 3 |
On Knowing the Better and Doing the Worse | 27 |
Some Remarks on Kants Theory of Experience | 44 |
this 1 or he or it the thing which thinks | 62 |
Language as Thought and as Communication | 93 |
Reply to Marras | 118 |
Some Problems About Belief | 128 |
Reply to Quine | 148 |
Empiricism and Abstract Entities | 245 |
On the Introduction of Abstract Entities | 287 |
Toward a Theory of the Categories | 318 |
Classes as Abstract Entities and the Russell Paradox | 340 |
Induction as Vindication | 367 |
Are there NonDeductive Logics? | 417 |
Theoretical Explanation | 439 |
| 455 | |
Conceptual Change | 172 |
Actions and Events | 189 |
Metaphysics and the Concept of a Person | 214 |
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abstract entities accept action analytic answer argues bare particular Carnap causal ceteris paribus concatenated conceptual activity conclusion construed context craft defined definiens definition disposed to inscribe disposition distinction empirical knowledge empiricism entails episodes epistemic event example explication expressions fact formulation framework function idea identity implies INDCON individual concept induction inference involved Jones believes k₁ Kant Kant's kind language latter linguistic logical materially equivalent matter-of-factual means mental metalanguage Metaphysics mind nominalistic nomological objects ontological order probability ought-to-be's perception person pertaining philosophical Philosophy of Mind Philosophy of Science Plato practical reasoning predicate premise presupposes principle probability argument proposition Q So probably quantification question reference relation relevant represent role Russell paradox schema Science Sellars semantical sense singular terms Socrates sortal stands substance syntactical theoretical theory things things considered thinking that-p thinking-out-loud thought tion tokens triangular true truth uttering variables verbal behavior words