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137Quine on Hume and the Analytic/Synthetic DistinctionPhilosophia 39 (2): 369-373. 2011.W. V. O. Quine’s assault on the analytic/synthetic distinction is one of the most celebrated events in the history of twentieth century philosophy. This paper shines a light on Quine’s own understanding of the history of this distinction. More specifically, this paper argues, contrary to what seems to be the received view, that Quine explicitly recognized a kindred subversive spirit in David Hume
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133Hume on knowledge, certainty and probability: Anticipating the disintegration of the analytic/synthetic divide?Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 88 (2). 2007.This paper contends that the first argument of Hume's "Of scepticism with regard to reason" entails that humans have no knowledge as Hume understands knowledge. In defending this claim, we also see how Hume's argument anticipates an important aspect of an extremely influential 20th century development: the collapse of the analytic/synthetic distinction.
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106Pluralism, exclusivism, and the theoretical virtuesReligious Studies 42 (2): 193-206. 2006.This paper argues that John Hick's commitment to the moral principle of altruism undermines his pluralistic claim that all of the major world religions are equally efficacious from a soteriological perspective. This argument is placed in a context of a discussion evaluating the theoretical virtues of various hypotheses about religious diversity. (Published Online April 7 2006).
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96Skeptics without bordersAmerican Philosophical Quarterly 47 (3): 223. 2010.Timothy Williamson’s anti luminosity argument has received considerable attention. Escaping unnoticed, though, is a strikingly similar argument from David Hume. This paper highlights some of the arresting parallels between Williamson’s reasoning and Hume’s that will allow us to appreciate more deeply the plausibility of Williamson’s reasoning and to understand how, following Hume, we can extend this reasoning to undermine the “luminosity” of simple necessary truths. More broadly the parallels he…Read more
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72Is Hume’s Epistemology Internalist or Externalist?Dialogue 40 (1): 125. 2001.Although David Hume is no match for Immanuel Kant in terms of opaque writing, his overall philosophy is not without interpretive difficulties. Earlier this century, many philosophers read Hume as the precursor to logical positivism. Of course, the concluding words of his Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding added fuel to these flames; but with the downfall of positivism, this reading of Hume has virtually disappeared. Today, interpretations of Hume fall into two main camps: the naturalistic ca…Read more
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68Justification and the social nature of knowledgePhilosophy and Phenomenological Research 69 (1). 2004.In this paper I shall closely examine some of Gilbert Harman's cases that purport to show that one can have a justified true belief that does not constitute knowledge because of the social environment. I shall provide an account of these cases that helps us not only understand why the people in these situations lack knowledge, but also why philosophers have a difficult time evaluating these cases. More specifically, I shall argue that in these cases we should conclude that the cognizers lack jus…Read more
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60The philosophical challenge of religious diversity (edited book)Oxford University Press. 2000.This unique volume collects some of the best recent work on the philosophical challenge that religious diversity poses for religious belief. Featuring contributors from philosophy, religious studies, and theology, it is unified by the way in which many of the authors engage in sustained critical examination of one another's positions. John Hick's pluralism provides one focal point of the collection. Hick argues that all the major religious traditions make contact with the same ultimate reality, …Read more
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54William Alston's epistemology of religious experienceInternational Journal for Philosophy of Religion 35 (2). 1994.
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47Ethics and Epistemology in HumeThe European Legacy 18 (4): 457-466. 2013.This essay addresses the relationship between Hume’s moral theory and his epistemological project. More specifically, it focuses on one particular aspect of the relationship between Hume’s moral theory and his general scepticism with regard to reason. Several philosophers, such as David Owen and Annette Baier, have suggested that Hume’s moral theory provides significant support for his appeal to reason/reasoning. To uncover some of the main obstacles that any future attempts to rest Humean reaso…Read more
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43Chisholming away at Plantinga's critique of epistemic deontologyAustralasian Journal of Philosophy 76 (1). 1998.This Article does not have an abstract
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42After Certainty: A History of Our Epistemic Ideals and Illusions, by Robert PasnauMind 128 (512): 1355-1360. 2019.After Certainty: A History of Our Epistemic Ideals and Illusions, by PasnauRobert. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2017. Pp. 384.
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41Was Hume a proper functionalist?Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 72 (1). 2006.Nicholas Wolterstorff has claimed that David Hume hinted at a proper functionalist account that anticipates the epistemology of Alvin Plantinga. In this paper, I shall argue that we should refrain from attributing a proper functionalist epistemology to Hume. I shall first raise doubts as to how one could fit a notion of proper functioning into Hume's descriptive project. Next, I shall argue that adopting a proper functionalist epistemology would undermine some of Hume's most famous claims about …Read more
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39Hume's iterative probability argument: A perniciousJournal of the History of Philosophy 38 (2): 221-238. 2000.In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Journal of the History of Philosophy 38.2 (2000) 221-238 [Access article in PDF] Hume's Iterative Probability Argument: A Pernicious Reductio Kevin Meeker University of South Alabama In this essay I want to look afresh at David Hume's iterative probability argument, found in the section entitled "Of Scepticism with regard to Reason" in his A Treatise of Human Nature.1 Interestingly enough, after years of comparative neglect,2 this ar…Read more
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37Hume's Iterative Probability Argument: A Pernicious ReductioJournal of the History of Philosophy 38 (2): 221-238. 2000.In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Journal of the History of Philosophy 38.2 (2000) 221-238 [Access article in PDF] Hume's Iterative Probability Argument: A Pernicious Reductio Kevin Meeker University of South Alabama In this essay I want to look afresh at David Hume's iterative probability argument, found in the section entitled "Of Scepticism with regard to Reason" in his A Treatise of Human Nature.1 Interestingly enough, after years of comparative neglect,2 this ar…Read more
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28The Riddle of Hume's Treatise: Skepticism, Naturalism, and Irreligion, by Paul RussellMind 124 (494): 675-679. 2015.This is a terrific tome. Packed with interesting insights and supported with extensive research, this book has tremendous potential to shape certain aspects of Hume studies. In light of such potential, it is not surprising that the earlier hardback edition earned the 2008 Journal of the History of Philosophy History of Philosophy Book Prize. Why is this book so important? Quite simply, this is one of the best contextualist studies of Hume’s A Treatise of Human Nature ever written. To elaborate a…Read more
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26Genetic Integrity and the Very Idea of a Prima Facie DutyEthics, Policy and Environment 18 (3): 256-258. 2015.In this essay, I call into question Yasha Rohwer and Emma Marris’s attack on what they see as a dominant view in conservation biology: namely, that there is a prima facie moral duty to preserve gen...
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21Reflection and the Stability of Belief: Essays on Descartes, Hume, and Reid by Louis E. Loeb (review)Hume Studies 39 (2): 257-260. 2013.In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Reviewed by:Reflection and the Stability of Belief: Essays on Descartes, Hume, and Reid by Louis E. LoebKevin MeekerLouis E. Loeb. Reflection and the Stability of Belief: Essays on Descartes, Hume, and Reid. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Pp. xvii + 369. ISBN: 978-0-19-536876-5, Cloth, $99.00. ISBN 978-0-19-536875-8, Paper, $45.00.This book is (almost entirely) a collection of previously published essays by Louis Loeb. The …Read more
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21Hume's Epistemology and Metaphysics: An Introduction (review)Hume Studies 25 (1): 250-255. 1999.The Preface's first sentence sketches an ambitious agenda: "The purpose of this book is to present and assess David Hume's most influential contributions to epistemology and metaphysics in a manner that does not presuppose familiarity with Hume on the reader's part and yet is sufficiently deep and rigorous to interest more advanced students". Although it is difficult to achieve such lofty aims, Dicker accomplishes the task he sets for himself in this exceptional book. In what follows, I will fir…Read more
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21Review of Fred Wilson, The External World and Our Knowledge of It: Hume's Critical Realism, an Exposition and Defence (review)Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews 2009 (9). 2009.
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21Abilism Ascendant?Principia: An International Journal of Epistemology 26 (2). 2022.John Turri has recently called for a major shift in how the vast majority of philosophers think of knowledge. Instead of maintaining that knowledge must proceed from reliable processes, he urges epistemologists to move toward an “abilist” view that allows knowledge to proceed from abilities that are not truth-conducive. More strongly, he claims to have provided conclusive reasons for abandoning the idea that knowledge requires reliability. In this paper I explain why Turri has failed to make the…Read more
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18Environmental Trolley Problems and Ethical Assumptions in the Geoengineering DebateEthics, Policy and Environment 21 (2): 178-180. 2018.Stephen Gardiner and Augustin Fragnière offer a thorough critique of the Oxford Principles meant to govern geoenegineering in their paper ‘The tollgate principles for the governance...
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Areas of Interest
Epistemology |
17th/18th Century Philosophy |