In Defense of Pure Reason: A Rationalist

This book is concerned with the alleged capacity of the human mind to arrive at beliefs and knowledge about the world on the basis of pure reason without any dependence on sensory experience. Most recent philosophers reject the view and argue that all substantive knowledge must be sensory in origin. Laurence BonJour provocatively reopens the debate by presenting the most comprehensive exposition and defense of the rationalist view that a priori insight is a genuine basis for knowledge.

Preface

xi

Acknowledgments

xiv

Introduction: the problem of a priori justification

1

(27)

The need for the a priori

1

(5)

The concept of a priori justification

6

(5)

The a priori and the necessary

11

(4)

Rationalism and empiricism

15

(5)

Kant and the synthetic a priori

20

(8)

A note on terminology

26

(2)

In search of moderate empiricism

28

(34)

Introduction

28

(4)

Reductive conceptions of analyticity

32

(4)

Obfuscating conceptions of analyticity

36

(10)

Lewis's appeal to sense meaning

46

(3)

The idea of implicit definition

49

(2)

The appeal to linguistic convention

51

(7)

A final problem for the moderate empiricist

58

(4)

Quine and radical empiricism

62

(36)

Radical empiricism and skepticism

62

(2)

``Two Dogmas of Empiricism'': Quine's target

64

(3)

``Two Dogmas of Empiricism'': the argument against analyticity

67

(6)

``Two Dogmas of Empiricism'': Quine's arguments against a priori justification

73

(4)

The argument from indeterminacy of translation

77

(5)

Quine's ``naturalized epistemology''

82

(7)

Can radical empiricism avoid skepticism?

89

(9)

A moderate rationalism

98

(32)

Introduction

98

(2)

A priori justification: some intuitive examples

100

(6)

Rationalism: an initial formulation

106

(4)

The fallibility of rational insight

110

(5)

The corrigibility of rational insight

115

(5)

Can a priori justification be refuted by experience?

120

(4)

Demonstration and memory

124

(6)

Epistemological objections to rationalism

130

(23)

Introduction

130

(1)

The very idea of rational insight

131

(2)

Dogmatism and bias

133

(5)

Disparities of insight

138

(4)

The demand for metajustification

142

(5)

The epistemological case for rationalism: overview and summary

147

(2)

Concepts and reality

149

(4)

Metaphysical objections to rationalism

153

(34)

Introduction

153

(3)

The causal objection

156

(6)

The nature of thought

162

(2)

A basic problem for the symbolic conception of thought

164

(6)

The appeal to direct reference

170

(4)

Conceptual role semantics

174

(6)

Toward a theory of mental content

180

(7)

The justification of induction

187

(30)

Introduction

187

(1)

The shape of the problem

188

(4)

The pragmatic justification of induction

192

(4)

The ordinary language justification of induction

196

(4)

The inductive justification of induction

200

(3)

Is it possible to justify induction a priori?

203

(3)

Toward an a priori justification induction

206

(11)

Appendix: Non-Euclidean geometry and relativity

217

(8)

A.1 Introduction

217

(1)

A.2 The mathematical and scientific background

218

(3)

A.3 Some alternatives

221

(2)

A.4 Geometry and rational insight

223

(2)

References

225

(4)

Index

229

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In Defense of Pure Reason: A Rationalist Account of A Priori Justification

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Table of Contents

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