Inborn knowledge: the mystery within
"In this book, Colin McGinn presents a concise, clear, and compelling argument that the origins of knowledge are innate--that nativism, not empiricism, is correct in its theory of how concepts are acquired. McGinn considers the particular case of sensible qualities--ideas of color, shape, taste, and so on. He argues that these, which he once regarded as the strongest case for the empiricist position, are in fact not well explained by the empiricist account that they derive from interactions wit…
Read More ↓Title Statements
- Full title :Inborn knowledge : the mystery within / Colin McGinn.
Summary
"In this book, Colin McGinn presents a concise, clear, and compelling argument that the origins of knowledge are innate--that nativism, not empiricism, is correct in its theory of how concepts are acquired. McGinn considers the particular case of sensible qualities--ideas of color, shape, taste, and so on. He argues that these, which he once regarded as the strongest case for the empiricist position, are in fact not well explained by the empiricist account that they derive from interactions with external objects. Rather, he contends, ideas of sensible qualities offer the strongest case for the nativist position--that a large range of our knowledge is inborn, not acquired through the senses. Yet, McGinn cautions, how this can be is deeply problematic; we have no good theories about how innate knowledge is possible. Innate knowledge is a mystery, though a fact. McGinn describes the traditional debate between empiricism and nativism; offers an array of arguments against empiricism; constructs an argument in favor of nativism; and considers the philosophical consequences of adopting the nativist position, discussing perception, the mind-body problem, the unconscious, metaphysics, and epistemology"--Publisher's website.
Read More ↓Edition Statements
- Publication Date:2015
Publication Statements
- Publisher(s):MIT Press
- Place of Publication:Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Language:eng
- Publication Date:2015
The Physical Object
- Description:x, 137 pages ; : 21 cm
Edition Identifiers
- ISBN:9780262029391, 0262029391
- oclc:ocn913514329
- LC Classification:BD181
- Dewey Decimal:121/.3
Table of Contents
The traditional debate -- Problems with empiricism -- Nativism -- Implications.
Read More ↓Subjects
Writers
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate this work.
Related Works
more →
Anerkennung als Prinzip der praktischen Philosophie: Unters. zu Hegels Jenaer Philosophie d.…
Siep, Ludwig
Etica de la liberación en la edad de la globalización y la exclusión
Dussel, Enrique D.
Postdisciplinary knowledge
Applied epistemology
Knowledge contributors
Mental models
Knowledge and inquiry: readings in epistemology
Knowledge and skepticism
Files & Downloads
-
Inborn Knowledge: The Mystery Within -- (.pdf)
PDF · 1.5 MB · updated
Rate & Review