NDLI: A role for abstractionism in a direct realist foundationalism

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Bayer, Benjamin
Copyright Year	2009
Abstract	Both traditional and naturalistic epistemologists have long assumed that the examination of human psychology has no relevance to the prescriptive goal of traditional epistemology, that of providing first-person guidance in determining the truth. Contrary to both, I apply insights about the psychology of human perception and concept-formation to a very traditional epistemological project: the foundationalist approach to the epistemic regress problem. I argue that direct realism about perception can help solve the regress problem and support a foundationalist account of justification, but only if it is supplemented by an abstractionist theory of concept-formation, the view that it is possible to abstract concepts directly from the empirically given. Critics of direct realism like Laurence BonJour are correct that an account of direct perception by itself does not provide an adequate account of justification. However a direct realist account of perception can inform the needed theory of concept-formation, and leading critics of abstractionism like McDowell and Sellars, direct realists about perception themselves, fail to appreciate the ways in which their own views about perception help fill gaps in earlier accounts of abstractionism. Recognizing this undercuts both their objections to abstractionism and (therefore) their objections to foundationalism.
Starting Page	357
Ending Page	389
Page Count	33
File Format	PDF
ISSN	00397857
Journal	Synthese
Volume Number	180
Issue Number	3
e-ISSN	15730964
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Netherlands
Publisher Date	2009-12-10
Publisher Place	Dordrecht
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Epistemology Justification Epistemic regress problem Foundationalism Direct realism Abstractionism Internalism Logic Philosophy of Science Philosophy of Language Metaphysics
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Philosophy Social Sciences

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Meta-epistemology and the varieties of epistemic infinitism

On the regress argument for infinitism

Internalism empowered: how to bolster a theory of justification with a direct realist theory of awareness

Believing one’s reasons are good

A dilemma for internalism?

Haack’s foundherentism is a foundationalism

Two Notions of Scientific Justification

On the general argument against internalism

Justified inference

A role for abstractionism in a direct realist foundationalism

Similar Documents

Meta-epistemology and the varieties of epistemic infinitism

On the regress argument for infinitism

Internalism empowered: how to bolster a theory of justification with a direct realist theory of awareness

Believing one’s reasons are good

A dilemma for internalism?

Haack’s foundherentism is a foundationalism

Two Notions of Scientific Justification

On the general argument against internalism

Justified inference

A role for abstractionism in a direct realist foundationalism