31 research outputs found
In Quest of a Wittgensteinian Hinge Epistemology
No full textHinge epistemology is a family of theories about justification (and knowledge) which give centre-stage to Wittgenstein’s notion of a “hinge”. In the following, I will first put forward some basic methodological considerations regarding the relationship between merely exegetical work on, in particular, Wittgenstein’s texts, and more theoretically committed work, which aims at developing suggestions that can be found in the texts, even though they are not clearly attributable as such to their author (§1). I will then summarize the main tenets of what, to date, is still the most widespread reading of On Certainty (§2) – the so-called “framework reading”. In light of the initial methodological considerations and of this exegesis of On Certainty, I will then review some contemporary attempts at developing Wittgenstein’s ideas in an anti-skeptical direction, such as Crispin Wright’s, Michael Williams’ and Duncan Pritchard’s (§3). I will argue that, their intrinsic merits notwithstanding, they fail to take proper measure of Wittgenstein’s own position. I will then close by sketching my own version of hinge epistemology and by highlighting points of contact and disagreement with Wittgenstein’s own views as portrayed by the framework reading (§4)
Epistemology
No full textThis chapter focuses on some of the most discussed issues of contemporary epistemology. It is divided into four main sections, each devoted to a particular problem. More precisely: (i) the analysis of the notion of knowledge; (ii) the role of epistemic justification and its theories; (iii) the problem of skepticism about the external world; (iv) epistemic relativism.
(i) First of all, propositional knowledge is distinguished from two other kinds of knowledge that fall outside the scope of the traditional analysis (that is, knowledge by acquaintance and procedural knowledge) and the definition of knowledge as justified true belief (JTB) is introduced. Hence, the necessity of all three conditions is illustrated and defended. Finally, the Gettier problem is presented through two relevant counterexamples to the JTB analysis and then some general strategies to rebut the objection by searching for a suitable further condition able to “degettierize” JTB are discussed (Gettier 1963, Lehrer 1965, Lehrer e Paxson 1969, Armstrong 1973, Swain 1974, Nozick 1981).
(ii) In the second part, the principal theories of justification are examined and the differences between epistemic internalism and externalism clarified. To begin, foundationalism and coherentism are introduced as two possible answers to the regress problem: according to the former, justification chains end in a non-arbitrary way when they encounter a basic belief, while the latter argues that justification is a holistic notion. Then, a more recent theory of justification is analyzed, that is process reliabilism, according to which the justification of a belief depends on the reliability of the cognitive process that has actually produced it (Goldman 1979, 1986). To conclude, Sosa’s version of virtue epistemology is presented as a possible solution to the value problem for knowledge (Sosa 1991, 2007, 2009).
(iii) As a third point, the traditional problem of skepticism about the external world is examined: this skepticism does not deny the existence of the external world but affirms that we cannot know that there is such a world. Two different externalist answers are proposed: according to the first one, the skeptical argument can be rebutted by simply recognizing the fact that our senses are reliable sources of knowledge; alternatively, the second externalist proposal denies the principle of epistemic closure: if S knows that p, and S knows that p implies q, then S knows that q (Dretske 1970, 2005, Nozick 1981). A different possibility is also investigated, that is contextualism: the basic idea is that the verb “to know”, like some adjectives such as “flat”, is sensitive to the context (Cohen 1986, DeRose 1992, 1995). A fourth alternative, which is based on the notion of entitlement, that is of a non-evidential or a default justification, is finally suggested (Wright 2004).
(iv) The last section is dedicated to epistemic relativism. The first kind of relativism which has been analyzed and criticized is that about knowledge attributions, as it has been upheld by MacFarlane: its main thesis is that knowledge attributions do not vary with respect to the context of use but to the context of assessment (MacFarlane 2005b). The second one is relativism about justification, according to which what justifies a belief constitutively depends on the particular methods, theories, and principles one assumes (Kuhn 1962, Feyerabend 1975)
Epistemologia (o della conoscenza)
No full textIl contributo offre una panoramica e alcuni spunti originali sui temi dello scetticismo e della conoscenza riguardo al mondo esterno
Teorie della conoscenza. Il dibattito contemporaneo
No full textIl volume costituisce la prima antologia di testi tradotti in lingua italiana dei principali saggi di filosofia analitica in teoria della conoscenza. E' diviso in tre parti: conoscenza, giustificazione e scetticismo e contiene testi di L. BonJour, K. DeRose, F. Dretske, R. Firth, E. Gettier, A. Goldman, J. Greco, C.I. Lewis, R. Nozick, D. Pritchard, J. Pryor, E. Sosa, T. Williamson, C. Wright. Ogni sezione è preceduta da un'ampia introduzione
Inhibition of apoptosis in stage A Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia is reversed by acyclovir
No full textDeletion of the long arm of chromosome 7 in secondary acute nonlymphocytic leukemia and in myelodysplatic sindromes
No full textNon-Evidentialist Epistemology: Introduction and Overview
No full textThis is the introduction to Moretti, Luca and Nikolaj Pedersen (eds), Non-Evidentialist Epistemology. Brill. Contributors: N. Ashton, A. Coliva, J. Kim, K. McCain, A. Meylan, L. Moretti, S. Moruzzi, J. Ohlorst, N. Pedersen, T. Piazza, L. Zanetti
Drug-induced immunophenotypic modulation in childhood ALL: implications for minimal residual disease detection
No full textAssessment of minimal residual disease (MRD) by flow cytometry is considered to be based on the reproducibility of the leukemic immunophenotype detected at diagnosis. However, we previously noticed modulation of surface antigen expression in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) during the early treatment. Hence, we investigated this in 30 children with B-cell precursor ALL consecutively enrolled in the AIEOP-BFM ALL 2000 protocol. Quantitative expression of seven antigens useful in MRD monitoring was studied at diagnosis and compared to that measured at different time points of remission induction therapy. Downmodulation in the expression of CD10 and CD34 occurred at follow-up. By contrast, upmodulation of CD19, CD20, CD45RA, and CD11a was observed, while the expression of CD58 remained stable. Despite this, we could unambiguously discriminate leukemic cells from normal residual B cells. This holds true when bone marrow (BM) samples from similarly treated T-ALL patients, but not from healthy donors, were used as reference. Our results indicate that immunophenotypic modulation occurs in ALL during the early phases of BFM-type protocols. However, the accuracy of MRD detection by flow cytometry seems not negatively affected if adequate analysis protocols are employed. Investigators should take this phenomenon into account in order to avoid pitfalls in flow cytometric MRD studies
