Epistemology Naturalized

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Lecture 15

• Epistemology Naturalized

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W. V. O. Quine

• Most influential philosopher
• of the last 60 years.
• Challenged the dominant
• thesis of Logical Positivism.
• Rejected the analytic / synthetic distinction.
• Rejected determinate translation.

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Background distinction

• Normative language.
• Wrong, justification, should, ought.
• Murder is wrong
• Thats irresponsible
• He should be punished

• Descriptive language.
• is, was, will be.
• He killed Bob.
• Bobs children are orphans.
• Sucks to be Bobs children

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Descartes Project

• What do I know?
• What do I know for certain?
• There are certain foundational
• beliefs I know for certain.
• Those foundational beliefs entail other beliefs.

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Carnaps Project

• Lets do it!
• Start with phenomenal concepts.
• Red, cold.
• Express all your beliefs in terms of phenomenal
  concepts.
• These (foundational) beliefs entail other beliefs
  (this is an electron).

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Example

• I am having a red, round experience
• I am seeing a tomato.
• The word iron names an associated sight and
  sound Alexander Bryan Johnson

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Quines Terminology

• Conceptual reduction Reducing scientific
  concepts to phenomenal ones
• tomato red, round.
• Doctrinal reduction Reducing scientific beliefs
  to phenomenal ones
• there is a tomato if you look there youll
  have a red round experience.

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• The doctrinal reduction had failed.
• Hume showed we could not derive any scientific
  belief from a phenomenal belief.
• eg. I see a bright yellow disc rising does not
  entail The sun will rise tomorrow.

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• Carnap attempted a conceptual reduction
• A translation of scientific concepts into
  phenomenal ones.
• Tomato Red, round experience
• Analogy. Philosophical translation
• Knowledge Justified true belief.

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• Why?
• Clarity.
• Imagine if the theory of relativity could be
  expressed in phenomenal concepts

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Three points

• 1. Carnaps program failed.
• 2. Quines diagnosis of why it failed.
• 3. Quines response (Quines positive program of
  naturalized epistemology)

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1. Carnaps program failed
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2. Quines DiagnosisThe Indeterminacy of
Translation

• This will take up most of the lecture.
• All translations fail!
• Premise 1. Verificationism
• Premise 2. Confirmation holism.
• Conclusion. Indeterminacy of translation.

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Verificationism

• The meaning of a sentence is its method of
  verification.
• Thats a rabbit means If you look, youll see
  a small fluffy creature.

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Arguments for Verificationism

• 1. How else could we learn a language?
• Infants see that speakers assent to rabbit when
  there is one to be detected.

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• 2. What would a rejection of verificationism be?
• It would say that there was more to meaning than
  the method of verification.
• How could an infant learn this mysterious
  component of meaning?

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• Premise 1. Verificationism
• Premise 2. Confirmation holism.
• Therefore indeterminacy of translation.

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Confirmation holism

• Confirmation holism What it takes to verify
  (confirm) a sentence depends on the whole of your
  beliefs.

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• Example. A physicists belief that the liquid is
  an acid is confirmed by the litmus paper turning
  red.
• The students belief that the liquid is an acid
  is not.

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• Premise 1. Verificationism. Meaning depends on
  method of verification
• Premise 2. Confirmation holism. Method of
  verification depends on the agents entire body
  of belief.
• There is no translation between a sentence of one
  language and a sentence of another Indeterminacy
  of translation.

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Example

• A native sees a rabbit and says Gavagai.
• Gavagai Rabbit ?
• Gavagai Undetatched rabbit part ?
• Gavagai Rabbit seen on a Tuesday ?

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• Consequence of indeterminacy of translation
• Tomato doesnt mean red, round experience.
• We cant translate science into phenomenology
  because we cant translate!
• So we cant justify our beliefs !!!!

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• 1. Carnaps program failed.
• 2. Quines diagnosis of why it failed.
• 3. Quines response (Quines positive program of
  naturalized epistemology)

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Naturalized Epistemology

• Epistemology should give up the concept of
  justification.
• Description only!

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Naturalized Epistemology

• Input Our sense organs are tickled.
• Output Beliefs.
• Psychology is about the process from input to
  output.
• Philosophy should focus on exactly the same thing
  i.e. should join the psychology department i.e.
  should disband!

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• How can we accept belief if we reject
  justification?