Day 11:  Semantics & Epistemology

•      Reliabilist Recentring of Epistemology

•      Chicken Sexing and Super Blind Sight

•      Semantics and Epistemology

•      The Conceptual Blindspot of Reliabilism

•      Reliabilism and Naturalism

•      Read ENE: 83 – 104 (Independent Study)

Reliabilist Recentring of Epistemology

•      According to Brandom, why should we care about the nonaccidentalness of a true opinion or belief?

•      Brandom’s three questions (pp. 374-375)

•      How does the externalist reliabilist answer these questions?

•      On the reliabilist recentring of epistemology

•      How does Brandom answer these three questions?

•      Preliminary remark on Brandom’s rejection of the recentring of epistemology

Chicken Sexing and Super Blind Sight

•      What’s up with these examples?  Why does Brandom bring them up?

•      What does Brandom think the lesson is of examples where someone makes reliable reports but cannot give reasons to believe that they are reliable?

First Argument Against Recentring Epistemology

•      Can you imagine a community where members form beliefs only when they can give reasons for their beliefs?

•      Can you imagine a community where members never are in a position to offer reasons for their beliefs?

•      How does Brandom answer these questions?  What conclusion does he draw?

Semantics and Epistemology

•      What is semantics?

•      Why does Brandom get into semantics?

•      What is inferential/conceptual role semantics?

•      What are the implications for epistemology?

Semantics and Epistemology

•      Semantics and the belief condition:

–  According to Brandom, what is a key difference between mere reliable indicators (iron filings, landmines, tree rings…) and believers?

–  Brandom gives a semantic answer to the above question; what does he think the epistemic moral is of that semantic answer?

•       (Flash forward: latter in the course (when studying Sosa), we’ll consider the possibility of “animal knowledge” or unreflective knowledge.  Can Brandon account for that?  If so, how?  If not, why not?  Think about that as we work through his account.)

The Conceptual Blind Spot of Reliabilism

•      According to Brandom, what is the conceptual blind spot of reliabilism?

•      What does Brandom say about examples of proper believers who have arrived at a true belief using a reliable process or method but are unaware of their reliability?  (I.e. what does Brandom say about the founding insight of reliabilism?)

Reliabilism and Naturalism

•      What are people talking about when they talk about naturalizing epistemology?

•      In what sense are reliabilists interested in naturalizing epistemology?

•      What is the point of the barn facades example?  What is “Goldman’s Insight”?

•      How does Brandom use Goldman’s insight against Goldman’s reliabilism?

•      The “problem of the reference class” or the “generality problem”