Philosophy Quotes

"Literal meaning underdetermines what speakers actually convey and mean."

"Pluralism about truth values respects both objectivity and the plurality of human concerns."

"Incommensurability between theories poses genuine difficulties for simple accounts of progress."

"Logic constrains rational thought but does not determine unique conclusions."

"Bayesian updating provides a model of how rational creatures should revise beliefs."

"Belief in unobservables is not necessary for the success of science."

"The old debate between realism and instrumentalism need not be settled absolutely."

"Our theories are tools for making sense of experience."

"Constructive empiricism offers a middle ground between naive realism and pure skepticism."

"The burden of proof lies with those claiming knowledge of the unobservable."

"Belief and acceptance are different epistemic attitudes with different justifications."

"The metaphysical claims of science extend beyond what experience can justify."

"Skepticism about unobservables need not lead to skepticism about science itself."

"Constructive empiricism respects both scientific practice and epistemological caution."

"The success of science is compatible with agnosticism about ultimate reality."

"Scientific method gives us justified theories about experience, not about things-in-themselves."

"The apparent objectivity of science arises from shared human experience."

"The debate between different interpretations of quantum mechanics cannot be settled empirically."

"Scientific models are sophisticated devices for organizing and predicting experience."

"Scientific success is compatible with multiple metaphysical interpretations."

"The constructive empiricist embraces scientific knowledge while rejecting speculative metaphysics."

"Empirical adequacy is a more defensible standard than truth for scientific theories."

"Scientific understanding is always provisional and subject to revision."

"The gulf between epistemology and metaphysics cannot be easily bridged."

"The apparent conflict between different scientific worldviews often dissolves when properly understood."

"Constructive empiricism reconciles respect for science with epistemological honesty."

"The meaning of a word is its use in the language."

"Externalism about mental content reveals that the mind extends into the world."

"The twin earth thought experiment shows that meaning just ain't in the head."

"Language is a system of representation built on historical-causal foundations."