Should we replace knowledge by understanding? — A comment on Elgin and Goodman's reconception of epistemology

Synthese 95 (1):119 - 128 (1993)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Goodman and Elgin have recommended a reconception of philosophy. A central part of their recommendation is to replace knowledge by understanding. According to Elgin, some important internalist and externalist theories of knowledge favor a sort of undesirable cognitive minimalism. Against Elgin I try to show how the challenge of cognitive minimalism can be met. Goodman and Elgin claim that defeat and confusion are built into the concept of knowledge. They demand either its revision or its replacement or its supplement. I show that these are three very different options. While agreeing with the view that there may be good reasons for some revisions and supplements, I strongly disagree with Elgin and Goodman's replacement thesis.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,221

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Nelson Goodman 1906-1998.Catherine Z. Elgin, Israel Scheffler & Robert Schwartz - 1999 - Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association 72 (5):206 - 208.
The legacy of Nelson Goodman.Catherine Z. Elgin - 2001 - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 62 (3):679-690.
Changing the subject.Catherine Z. Elgin & Nelson Goodman - 1987 - Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 46:219-223.
Between the absolute and the arbitrary.Catherine Z. Elgin - 1997 - Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Samples as symbols.Mark Textor - 2008 - Ratio 21 (3):344-359.

Analytics

Added to PP
2009-01-28

Downloads
101 (#158,026)

6 months
4 (#315,466)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Dirk Koppelberg
Freie Universität Berlin

Citations of this work

Add more citations

References found in this work

Philosophical explanations.Robert Nozick - 1981 - Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
Epistemology and cognition.Alvin I. Goldman - 1986 - Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
Thought.Gilbert Harman - 1973 - Princeton, NJ, USA: Princeton University Press.
Discrimination and perceptual knowledge.Alvin I. Goldman - 1976 - Journal of Philosophy 73 (November):771-791.
Philosophical Explanations.Robert Nozick - 1981 - Mind 93 (371):450-455.

View all 21 references / Add more references