100% found this document useful (1 vote)
505 views134 pagesHaack, Susan - Evidence and Inquiry
Haack, Susan - Evidence and Inquiry
Uploaded by
verlaine-1Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF or read online on Scribd
100% found this document useful (1 vote)
505 views134 pagesHaack, Susan - Evidence and Inquiry
Haack, Susan - Evidence and Inquiry
Uploaded by
verlaine-1Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF or read online on Scribd
/ 134
For HB
Evidence and Inquiry
Towards Reconstruction in
Epistemology
‘Susan Haack
Beacowcu
Disses Coniah © Suen Haack 1993, 1998
“Teg of Sean Haack 0 be ie asthor af his wok has een
‘Sra in seordnge ith the Copsrips Designs an Pens At 1986.
Frat pub 1953
Reprinted 1998
Fut publhed in aprback 198
Reprinted 1995 (ie) 1996 ee, 1997, 1998, 198,201
‘Blacksel Pulses La
106 Comey oss
Ovord OX LF, UK
‘lace Publishes le
530 an Suet
‘Malden, Masachasets 02148, USA.
Allies eerie. Ee fr he quotation of short passages forte purposes
‘fertcum ond eviw: to part of plication maybe eroded sed
fe aceevl temo tatoaied any form o by an mens, elton,
rrechanal, photocopying, ceding or terse who he rie permission
‘ofthe publiber
Except inthe Une Sstes of Ameri his book is sol sect he condition
hati sal ty byway af rade oaherie, be ent resol, hed ot
‘hernieccitd wiov he puihers por coe ny frm of ing
troover fbr han at wbich't pulsed an wos mia condone
lading his condition Being pared onthe sabseueat pre
rsh Library Cataloging in Publication Date
[NCP exalopu ecard forth Yoo shill om th Bish Libary
bray of Congress Catloing in Publication Dato
Hane, Sisan
Evidence nding wart recosraction i epteoloy Susan Hank
Totes biographical ference and index.
ISBN 0-631-11881-9B4) — ISBN 0631-19679-X (pK)
I knowedge, Theory of 2 Evidence. 1 Tile
DIL NISS 1993 sesso
nese ar
“ype in 10 125 Pano
Sy Graphic Typeset Limited, Hong Kong
Piste an bendy Aenea Pes, i,
(ated, Toe & Wear
“Thi book i printed on ake oper
[et us remember how common the fly is, of
faulty exreme into the oppose NY of sine fom one
‘Thomas Reid Eis onthe Ileus! Pres, vi, 4 Contents
Preface
Inroduction
1 Foundatonalism versus Coberentism: # Dichotomy
Disclaimed
Foundational Undermined
Coherentitm Discomposed
FFoundherenti Ariclated
‘The Evidence of the Senses: Refutations and Conjectures
[Naturalism Disambigusted
‘The Bridence Against Reiabilism
Revolutionary Scietism Subvered
Vulgar Pragmatism: an Unediving Prospect
Foundherentm Ratified
Notes
[Bibliography of Works Cited
Index
10
2
B
9s
ne
139
158
182
203
Er]
235
2s Preface
‘This book has been many years inthe writing. Ie was begun, about
decade ago atthe University of Warwick, and finished at the University
of Miami
‘Substantial par ofthe final version ofthe book were completed with
the help of Max Orovie awards from the University of Miami for the
summers of 1991 and 1992.
“The book daw upon, develop, substantially revises, and in some cnet
putin, earer published work. Chapter | draws upon, and wobeantally
revises, Theories of Kacwledge:en Analytic Framework’, Poedingr of
the Arsalan Soi, 1982-3. Chapter 2 érav upon, and subeantally
revises, some matecal ftom ‘C. I Lew in Amorcan Phisophy, ed,
Marcus Singer, 1985. Chapter 4 is a development of “Double Aspect
oundherenssm: a New Theory of Empirical justification’ delivered at
the American Philosophical Associaton meetings in December 1991 and
ublished in Phisophy and Phenomenological Razarch, 1993. Chapter 5
‘raw on two pieces, Epstemology Wah a Knowing Subject, Review of
‘Maaplric, 1979, and "What i "the Problem of the Empirical Basis",
land Does Johnny Wideawake Solve 10 Bish Jounal forthe Piso
(of Scion, 1991. Chapter 6 supercedes “The Reievance of Paychology 10
Epistemology’, Mecaphiosopy, 1975, and goes beyond ‘The Two Faces
of Quine’ Naturalis’, Shee, 1993. Chapters 8 and 9 both daw in
ome measure upon ‘Recent Obituaries of Epistemology’, Amencan
Phioophicl Quarry, 1990. Chapter 10 subsataly improves, hope,
fon ‘Rebuilding the Ship Whe Saiing on the Water’ in Penpectives om
(Quin, ede Barret and Gibson, 1990.
would ke to express my thanks to all the many people who have
helped me, in various ways and at various stages. For ft wring me tO
‘write a book on epistemology, to Nicholas Reschee, For reading and x Preface
commenting with care and intelligence on large chunks of the mano-
feript, #0 Mark Mot. For helpful correspondence, o W. P- Alston,
Donald Campbell John Clendianen, Luciano Fond, Peter Hare, Disk
Koppelberg, Henry Kybur, Rita Nolan, Hilary Purnam, Sidney Ratner,
ral Roth, Ralph Sleeper, Emest Sos, and Andrew Swann ~ and to
David Stove, addsonally, for supplying the splendid dntonve which now
‘opens chapter 9. For elpfl conventions, to A. Philip rite and
David Miller at Warwick, and, at Miami, to Leonard Carrer, Edward
Eewia, Alan Goldman, Harvey Siegel and Risto Filpinen ~ and to Howard
Pospese, additionally, for his patience in teaching me to word-process.
For helpful comment and cis, to the audiences who, over the Years
heard various versions of various pars ofthis work ~and to the genera
‘ons of sents who learned epistemology with me. To Adan Larne,
for a good-natured joke at my expense (Profestor Haack exponent of
‘the Neslopscc Typographical School of Philcsophy’) which Thave adopted
5 an accurnteseledeseripion. To Lucia Paine, forthe shrewd com-
‘ment about my spl of philosophizing which prompted me to adap a
tide of Dewey’ for my subtle. To Lissee Cail, for wansforming my
‘ough shetches into artwork. To Mark Sucker, Kurt Erhard and Joanne
‘Waugh, for help with prootreading, foomotes and references. To Alison
“Truc for het inteligent copyediting.
‘And most of al, to Howard Burdick ~ for everthing
Introduction
“his books intended a contusion tothe epinemoloy of
‘cal knowledge. e eae
‘Thre ae tong teed in psopy today matte hore to the
‘adtonal projec of pcemology, projec which «pat Camo of
‘oir, om ents ofthe nts evelopment in epi see
OF neurphysilogy,thovgh rsa tiered neopragmat, fo
‘ower of the inet Par fabio, would havea beter ie
‘imme, fundamental miconesne. Tage. hope my abt
fs aeedy made my ponton cle: what eptenolony bec not
"A's Seasons for be
leving that p' wl eer othoreS-belie which austin A's Sebi that
Di'A’S current sensory S-videnc for believing tht pt the percep
Sates which sustain A's S-belie that ps A's past sensory evidence for
balerng that p tothe pereepual traces which sustain A's belie dhat
i's sensory Sevidnce fr believing that p’ to A's current and past
Sensory Sevidence for believing that p; ‘A'S current snrorpecuve S>
‘evidence for believing that pt0 the introspective sacs which sustain
‘As S-bele that ps ‘A's pas introspective S-evidence for Belicving that
pw the introspective tcer which sustain A’s S-belif that py A's
Ingospectve S-evidence for beeving that p° to A's current and past
introspective S-evidence for believing that p;'A's experiential S-evidence
for bebeving that p' 10 A's sentry and introxpectve S-evidence for
believing tha pi and "A's Sevidence for believing that p” to A's S-
reasons and experiential S-enidence for believing that p ‘A's S-vidence
sgasnat believing that’ wll be characterized hike “A's S-evidence for
believing that p, but with ‘inibit for ‘sustain’; and “A's S-vidence
with respect to p” wll refer to A's S-evidence for believing shat p and
1s Scendence against believing that p. "A's direct Seeidence with
respect top’ will refer to those evidential states which decay sustain
{hibit hie Sel that p, “A's indirect S-evidence with respect top
vol refer to those which direc sustalainhibit his iret S-evidence
with respect f0 p..and 0 on,
[Ns Screasons with respect top are themselves S-belifs of A's, with
respect to which A may have furbherS-evidence (which wil be part of
his S-evidence with respect to p), But A's experiential Sevidence with
respect op consists ofnon-bele sates of A, not the kind of thing with
respect to which A has, oF needs, evidence. Experiential S-vidence
ridensilly sustaininhibits Sele, but not vice vere. A's experiential
Scevidence is, one might say, his alimate Seevidence. (This i the
lmportant truth that expenentalirt oundatonalism tres £0 aceommo-
dae ~ but in forced and unnatural way.)
“The pre-analytic notion of ‘the evidence of the senses is not inno-
‘cent of theory. Human beings, according to the commonsense pict,
perceive things and events in the world around them; one interacts, by
means of one's senses, With the things in one's surroundings these ‘78 Foundherensism Articulated
‘nveracions are what ‘sensory experienc’ refers to. Our senses are, by
tnd large, good et detecting wat goes on around ws; bur in unfavour-
thle crcumsances one may be unable to see or heat clearly, and may
tisperctive, and in exremely unfavourable creumstances where one's
Senses are groslydtordered one may even “perceive” what isnot there
eal
‘The previour sentence with its scare quotes indicates that the
commonsense conception akes for granted that ordinarily a subject's
perceptual stster are the resule of hs sensory interactions with things
round him, bu that in extraordinary circumstances the subject could
be in a sate which i indatingushable by him fom the states resulting
fom his sensory interactions withthe world, which are however nor the
result of such interactions, but the product of some disorder in himsel
‘The intention i o represent both the positive and the negative aspects
ofthis picture. In what follows, ‘perceprual state’ wil be given a some-
‘what la interpretation, to inciade sates phenomenoloicallyindis-
Ingushable from percep! sats in the secter sense, When it comes
tthe transition from the causal tothe evaluative stage of the explication,
however, the commonsense sumption tha percepual sites are orin-
arly the result of one's sensory iterations with things and evens in
the word will be Built
“introspective S-eidence’has been chided a kind of experiential
Scevidence in the bli that also pat ofthe commonsense picture
underlying our pre-anlyic conception of jurifston that « human
being has some means of awareness of (ome of) his oun mental states
snd process, ar well at senses fr scanning things and events in the
‘world. Bur nothing wil be sid about inospecton here beyond the
‘bvervation that sensory S-evdence and introspective S-evidence are
tweated ae distinct withthe intention of avoiding any confusion of
the two, any cision of perception into inwospective awareness of one's
‘own meatal states. Such an elton would betray the commonsense
Drerumption that what we perceive are the things around us ~ which I
‘Wish, on the contrary, to preserve,
"As the role played by peroeprual sats locates the relevance of current
sensory experince to jstifiation, the cole played by pereeptal (and
incrorpectve] traces locates the role of memory, in the sense repre-
‘ented by the loeubon ‘A remembers seeing! hearing! ec. Here agin
the terminology wil be used with delberae laity. "Percepral [intro-
spective] races’ willbe allowed possibly to include states which ae
{idltinguishable by the subject om those which are the present traces
(of past perceptual {introspective} sates
‘The disuncton of perceprslstatepercepral trace, of curren/past
Foundherentem Aricuated 79
‘sensory S-videnc, i very crade ~ probably crader than the pre-enaytic
ideas it represents. Perception int istantancous, but an ongoing pro-
‘es. But degree of justifieation can change inthe course of the proce,
‘when, for instance, one ges a better look ata ting (I looked jst at
‘someone wat standing atthe front door, una 1 ot closer and saw
itwas only the shadow ofthe hydrangea bus’). To mitigate the cade
‘ess of the distinction of current /pastseasory Sevidence somewhat,
‘Percepeual sate’ should be construed not as intantancous, But a
Inaving some unspecified, gerymanderible duration.
Past sensory S-evidence represents one of the way i which memory
{ius into the picture. Memory alo crops up in a second form: 0 say ‘A
remembers that "ist say that he earier came to believe that p and
‘ow still lives it, he has not Forgotten it (andy of course, that pit
‘uo). How justifed A is in such a persiting”S-belic will depend at
‘with al belt, on how good his evidence his evidence atthe time in
‘question ~ is, (This needa't mean that it has to be suid chat Tam not
justied, fr instance, in believing that my bigh-achool Engh teacher
‘name wes ‘Miss Wright’ thie periing bel is now sustained By pest
‘experiential Sevidence ~ of seeing and hearing the name used by mee
‘and others, and s0 forts)
'A person's S-blif ae often maintained, in whole ot part, by hie
‘nearing, seeing, or remembering hearing oF seeing, what someone ese
‘says oF writes. Such testimonial evidence, as one might cal it in an
‘obvious extension of the usual sense, enter the picture by way ofthe
role played by A's sensory S-evidence; as when A's bel that p is
sustained by his remembering hearing B say that p, and his S-beits
‘that B is well-informed and that B has no strong toive for deceit ot
‘concealment on this mate. (tis asumed tha fA does’ understand
Bir language, i he hat the S-beief tat p, his hearing B say! wil not
{orm par of causal nexus)
[A's S-vidence with respect top const ofa gerrymandered collection
of sates of A. But inthe evaluative stage ofthe explication ‘evidence’
‘wil have to mean “C-evidenc’ fort i sentences oe propositions, not
fates of a person, which can support or undermine each other,
probabilify or diconfirm each other, be consistent or inconsistent with
‘ach her, cohere or filo cohere aban explanatory sory. Soa beat
is needed from $- to C-eridence. ‘A's C-reasons for Beliving that p
vl refer wo the C-beiets A's believing which consiute As Seasons
for believing that p; ‘A's experiential C-evidence for believing that pt 150, Foundherenitm Ariculated
sentences or propositions to the effect that A i in a certain sate oF
States — the sates) which consiute(s) A's experiential Sevidence
for believing that ps “A's C-vidence for believing that p will refer to
‘A's Cereaons for believing that p and A's experiential C-vidence
{or believing tat "A's C-evidence against being that p' will be
chartteried like ‘A's C
