Single Idea 3703

[catalogued under 13. Knowledge Criteria / B. Internal Justification / 4. Foundationalism / d. Rational foundations]

Full Idea

Moderate empiricists try unsuccessfully to explain a priori justification by means of analyticity, and radical empiricist attempts to dispense with a priori justification end in nearly total scepticism.

Gist of Idea

You can't explain away a priori justification as analyticity, and you can't totally give it up

Source

Laurence Bonjour (In Defence of Pure Reason [1998], §4.1)

Book Reference

Bonjour,Laurence: 'In Defense of Pure Reason' [CUP 1998], p.98


A Reaction

My working theory is neither of the above. Because we can abstract from the physical world, we can directly see/experience generalised (and even necessary) truths about it.