“Work on causal theories of knowledge - early work by Armstrong, and Dretske, and Goldman - seemed far more satisfying. As I started to see the ways in which work in the cognitive sciences could inform our understanding of central epistemological issues, my whole idea of what the philosophical enterprise is all about began to change. Quine certainly played a role here, as did Putnam's (pre-1975) work in philosophy of science, and the exciting developments that went on in that time in philosophy of mind.” WayMindIdeasPhilosophyWholeUnderstandingRolesIssuesTheoryDevelopmentExcitingPhilosophicalEnterpriseSatisfyingCognitivePhilosophy Of ScienceArmstrongCognitive ScienceEarly WorkTheory Of Knowledge Author:Hilary Kornblith
“I do agree with Stich that a quick move from our evolutionary origins to the reliability of our cognitive mechanisms is not legitimate. As I see it, the case for the reliability or unreliability of various cognitive mechanisms lies elsewhere.” MovingLyingCasesAgreeVariousMechanismElsewhereCognitiveReliabilityUnreliability Author:Hilary Kornblith
“The fact that we have been able to develop a successful science, which issues in ever more accurate predictions and broader explanations, is the real ground for confidence that we are in a position to gain knowledge of the world around us. At the same time, one might ask how it is that the cognitive equipment we have came about, and here, no doubt, our evolutionary origins are relevant.” WorldHas BeensRealFactsMightAbleAsksIssuesSuccessfulDoubtPositionGainsExplanationNo DoubtRelevantAccuratePredictionsEquipmentCognitiveKnowledge Of The World Author:Hilary Kornblith
“I do think that an understanding of contemporary work in the cognitive sciences has a profound effect on how one views the workings of the mind. It doesn't work the way we pretheoretically think it does. Such an understanding, of course, should have a large effect on one's views in philosophy of mind, but also in epistemology.” ThinkingWayShouldMindDoePhilosophyCoursesUnderstandingViewsEffectsShould HaveProfoundContemporaryCognitiveEpistemologyCognitive Science Author:Hilary Kornblith
“17th century philosophers were not in a position to understand the mind as well as we can today, since the advent of experimental methods in psychology. It shows no disrespect for the brilliance of Descartes or Kant to acknowledge that the psychology which they worked with was primitive by comparison with what is available today in the cognitive sciences, any more than it shows disrespect for the brilliance of Aristotle to acknowledge that the physics he worked with does not compare with that of Newton or Einstein.” MindWellsDoeShowsTodayPsychologyCenturyPositionMethodPhilosopherAvailablePhysicsCompareAcknowledgeComparisonPrimitiveBrillianceNewtonDisrespectCognitiveAdventCognitive Science17th Century Author:Hilary Kornblith
“What I argue is that talk of knowledge plays an important role in theories within cognitive ethology. The idea is this. First, one sees cognitive ethologists arguing that we need to attribute propositional attitudes to some animals in order to explain the sophistication of their cognitive achievements.” NeedsFirstsImportantIdeasPlayOrderAnimalAttitudeRolesTheoryAchievementArguingAttributesCognitiveSophistication Author:Hilary Kornblith
“Rather, although belief may be adequate for explaining the behavior of individual animals - an animal which believes that p will behave no differently from an animal which knows that p - talk of knowledge is necessary once one begins to look at explaining the cognitive capacities of a species.” KnowsBelieveLooksMayIndividualBeliefAnimalBehaviorCapacitySpeciesBehaveAdequateExplainingCognitive Author:Hilary Kornblith
“I largely defer to the cognitive ethologists. I believe that the arguments that they make on this score are extremely persuasive. More than this, I do think as well that a priori objections by philosophers to successful research programs in the sciences have a very bad track record.” ThinkingBelieveWellsI BelieveSuccessfulRecordsResearchProgramArgumentTrackPhilosopherScoreObjectionsCognitivePersuasiveTrack Record Author:Hilary Kornblith
