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95Actuality and the a prioriAustralasian Journal of Philosophy 66 (3). 1988.This Article does not have an abstract
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95Counterfactuals and Modal KnowledgeIn Essays on a Priori Knowledge and Justification, Oup Usa. pp. 251-270. 2014.Timothy Williamson offers a reductive account of modal knowledge in terms of knowledge of counterfactual conditionals. The account is developed in a broader context of defending two more general theses regarding the subject matter and methodology of philosophy. My primary focus in this paper is Williamson’s account of modal knowledge. I argue (1) that his account of modal knowledge does not support his more general theses regarding the subject matter and methodology of philosophy; (2) that the t…Read more
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93Grounding Concepts, by C. S. Jenkins.: Book Reviews (review)Mind 119 (475): 805-810. 2010.(No abstract is available for this citation)
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87Experience and a priori justification (review)Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 63 (3). 2001.Laurence BonJour’s In Defense of Pure Reason is rich and challenging. It offers a tightly integrated attack on empiricism and defense of rationalism. The tight texture of argument makes it difficult to isolate and assess specific aspects of the book in a brief discussion. My goal is to examine the role of experience in BonJour’s conception of a priori justification.
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85Causality, reliabilism, and mathematical knowledgePhilosophy and Phenomenological Research 52 (3): 557-584. 1992.
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84Particulars, substrata, and the identity of indiscerniblesPhilosophy of Science 49 (4): 591-603. 1982.This paper examines the view that ordinary particulars are complexes of universals. Russell's attempt to develop such a theory is articulated and defended against some common misinterpretations and unfounded criticisms in Section I. The next two sections address an argument which is standardly cited as the primary problem confronting the theory: (1) it is committed to the necessary truth of the principle of the identity of indiscernibles; (2) the principle is not necessarily true. It is argued i…Read more
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77Adverbial theories of sensing and the many-property problemPhilosophical Studies 44 (September): 143-160. 1983.
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66Response to my critics: Chris Pincock, Lisa Warenski and Jonathan WeinbergPhilosophical Studies 173 (6): 1705-1720. 2016.This is my response to the papers by Chris Pincock, Lisa Warenski and Jonathan Weinberg, which were presented at the Book Symposium on my Essays on A Priori Knowledge and Justification, American Philosophical Association Pacific Division Meetings, March 16–19, 2014
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65Necessity, Certainty, and the A PrioriCanadian Journal of Philosophy 18 (1): 43-66. 1988.Empiricist theories of knowledge are attractive for they offer the prospect of a unitary theory of knowledge based on relatively well understood physiological and cognitive processes. Mathematical knowledge, however, has been a traditional stumbling block for such theories. There are three primary features of mathematical knowledge which have led epistemologists to the conclusion that it cannot be accommodated within an empiricist framework: 1) mathematical propositions appear to be immune from …Read more
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64Phenomenal propertiesAustralasian Journal of Philosophy 60 (2): 165-169. 1982.This Article does not have an abstract
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61Conjunctive properties revisitedAustralasian Journal of Philosophy 62 (3). 1984.This Article does not have an abstract
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50Uncovering buried treasure: Henderson and Horgan on conceptual analysisPhilosophical Studies 169 (3): 509-523. 2014.David Henderson and Terry Horgan offer a detailed account of the structure of conceptual analysis that is embedded within a more general account of a priori justification. Their account highlights an important feature of conceptual analysis that has been overlooked in the recent debate. Although it is generally recognized that conceptual analysis involves an inference from premises to the effect that some concept does (or does not) apply to a range of particular cases to a general conclusion abo…Read more
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48Reply to my Critics: Anthony Brueckner and Robin JeshionIn Michael J. Shaffer & Michael Veber (eds.), What Place for the a Priori?, Open Court. pp. 111. 2011.
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48Modal Empiricism: What is the ProblemOxford Studies in Epistemology 6. 2019.Kant contends that necessity is a criterion of the a priori—that is, that all knowledge of necessary propositions is a priori. This contention, together with two others that Kant took to be evident—we know some mathematical propositions and such propositions are necessary—leads directly to the conclusion that some knowledge is a priori. Although many contemporary philosophers endorse Kant’s criterion, supporting arguments are hard to come by. Gordon Barnes provides one of the few examples. My pu…Read more
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45On the Relationship between A Priori and Necessary StatementsCanadian Journal of Philosophy 9 (2): 283-287. 1979.Edward Erwin has recently argued against the thesis that the concepts a priori truth’ and ‘necessary truth’ are extensionally equivalent. This thesis consists of two logically independent claims: all a priori truths are necessary; and all necessary truths are a priori. Erwin leaves the first claim unchallenged and elects to devote his efforts exclusively to undermining the second. The brunt of his attack on the second claim rests on alleged unclarities in the concept of an a priori truth. He att…Read more
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40In defense of pure reasonPhilosophical Review 109 (1): 103-107. 2000.This book is an important contribution to the contemporary epistemological literature. It is the only available book-length treatment of epistemological issues associated with the a priori. Moreover, it provides the most comprehensive articulation and defense of traditional rationalism. The book is tightly organized, crisply argued, and sets the standard against which competing accounts must be measured.
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39Is Knowledge of Essence the Basis of Modal Knowledge?Res Philosophica 97 (4): 593-609. 2020.E. J. Lowe offers an account of modal knowledge that involves two primary theses. First, the basis of modal knowledge is essential knowledge, and the source of essential knowledge is grasp of essence. Second, all empirical knowledge ultimately depends on some modal knowledge. This article assesses Lowe’s account and defends four conclusions. First, there is a tension in Lowe’s account of grasp of essence; it wavers between an undemanding version, which holds that grasp of essence requires no mor…Read more
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38Analyticity and the A PrioriCanadian Journal of Philosophy, Supplementary Volume 18 (sup1): 113-150. 1992.The analytic/synthetic distinction has played a central role in discussions of a priori knowledge throughout the twentieth century. One of the primary reasons for the prominence of this distinction is the widespread influence of the tradition of logical empiricism which endorsed the following principles: All analytic propositions are knowable a prioriand All propositions knowable a priori are analytic.Hence, proponents of the a priori often argue in support of the contention that the proposition…Read more
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36Experience and A Priori JustificationPhilosophy and Phenomenological Research 63 (3): 665-671. 2001.Laurence BonJour’s In Defense of Pure Reason is rich and challenging. It offers a tightly integrated attack on empiricism and defense of rationalism. The tight texture of argument makes it difficult to isolate and assess specific aspects of the book in a brief discussion. My goal is to examine the role of experience in BonJour’s conception of a priori justification.
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31Analyticity, Apriority, ModalityIn Manuel García-Carpintero & Max Kölbel (eds.), The Continuum Companion to the Philosophy of Language, Continuum International. pp. 228. 2012.
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21In Defense of Pure ReasonPhilosophical Review 109 (1): 103. 2000.This book is an important contribution to the contemporary epistemological literature. It is the only available book-length treatment of epistemological issues associated with the a priori. Moreover, it provides the most comprehensive articulation and defense of traditional rationalism. The book is tightly organized, crisply argued, and sets the standard against which competing accounts must be measured.
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17Essays on a Priori Knowledge and Justification (edited book)Oup Usa. 2014.The past twenty-five years have seen a major renewal of interest in the topic of a priori knowledge. In the sixteen essays collected here, which span this entire period, philosopher Albert Casullo documents the complex set of issues motivating the renewed interest, identifies the central epistemological questions, and provides the leading ideas of a unified response to them.
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11Causality, Reliabilism, and Mathematical KnowledgePhilosophy and Phenomenological Research 52 (3): 557-584. 1992.
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3Conceivability and possibilityRatio (Misc.) 17 (1): 118-121. 1975.The purpose of this article is to defend Hume's claim that whatever is conceivable is possible from a criticism by William Kneale. Kneale argues that although a mathematician can conceive of the falsehood of the Goldbach conjecture, he does not conclude that it is not necessarily true. The author suggests that by taking into account Hume's distinction between intuitive and demonstrative knowledge, a revised version of his claim can be offered which is not open to Kneale's criticism.
Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Epistemology |
Metaphysics |
Areas of Interest
Epistemology |
Metaphysics |