Overview
- The first synoptic research in monograph form concerning the theme of starting points for knowledge through the whole period from Plato to the late ancient commentators on Plato and Aristotle
- Unique in analyzing the most important common features and differences in various ancient theories about what kind of starting points are involved in knowledge
- Includes in a concise form discussions about some of the most central passages about this theme in the ancient texts
- Particularly important, because it provides a comprehensive picture of how passages and theories, which are often discussed in separate studies, are connected
Part of the book series: Studies in the History of Philosophy of Mind (SHPM, volume 3)
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Table of contents (3 chapters)
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Platonic-Aristotelian Tradition
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Alternative Approaches
Keywords
About this book
In order for there to be knowledge, there must be at least some primary elements which may be called ‘starting points’.
This book offers the first synoptic study of how the primary elements in knowledge structures were analysed in antiquity from Plato to late ancient commentaries, the main emphasis being on the Platonic-Aristotelian tradition. It argues that, in the Platonic-Aristotelian tradition, the question of starting points was treated from two distinct points of view: from the first perspective, as a question of how we acquire basic knowledge; and from the second perspective, as a question of the premises we may immediately accept in the line of argumentation. It was assumed that we acquire some general truths rather naturally and that these function as starting points for inquiry. In the Hellenistic period, an alternative approach was endorsed: the very possibility of knowledge became a central issue when sceptics began demanding that true claims should always be distinguishable from false ones.
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Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Apprehension and Argument
Book Subtitle: Ancient Theories of Starting Points for Knowledge
Authors: Miira Tuominen
Series Title: Studies in the History of Philosophy of Mind
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5043-5
Publisher: Springer Dordrecht
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, Philosophy and Religion (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2007
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4020-5042-8Published: 19 February 2007
Softcover ISBN: 978-90-481-7263-4Published: 30 November 2010
eBook ISBN: 978-1-4020-5043-5Published: 06 March 2007
Series ISSN: 1573-5834
Series E-ISSN: 2542-9922
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIV, 328
Topics: Classical Philosophy, Cultural Studies, History of Philosophy, Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Science