Archive for September, 2008

Second Level Potential Epistemic Awareness

Tuesday, September 16th, 2008

This is a question directed mainly towards those in Markie’s Epistemology seminar, but others are more than welcome to answer since it’s a pretty simple question.

Bergmann thinks up a theory in which it is “highly uncommon” to be even potentially aware of the factors that lead to justification for your belief. This leads him to reject the assertion that this is an internalist theory because there are certain people who aren’t even potentially aware of the factors that give justification. Internalism states that you must be at least potentially aware of these factors.

Even though there are some people who are not potentially aware of their justification, does that mean that this theory is not an internalist theory? You very well potentially could be part of that “highly uncommon” demographic, thus being potentially aware of the factors that give your belief justification.

My question is this: is this potential for potential (let’s call it second level potential) different in some way which makes the theory presented not an internalist theory? My intuitions point to no, but feedback is appreciated.

Impossible Properties?

Sunday, September 7th, 2008

This post is primarily aimed towards those in the metaphysics seminar, but anybody’s comments are welcome.  Should realists believe that there are universals such as square circles?  Does anybody know what the main views are on this?

Social Bundle Theory of Identity or “Part of me died”

Monday, September 1st, 2008

One afternoon in high school, I dropped my keys when unlocking my door. Let’s say that I don’t remember this and that nobody else was around to see it. It has no effect on my subconscious. It has no biological effect on me either, that is, it’s unlike dreamless sleep. This event has essentially no effect on how I acted after it happened. Is this particular experience important to my identity? If this event was somehow removed from my past, would I be the same person or would I be someone different?

Before answering these questions, we must realize that there are probably thousands of experiences like this that make up a large chronological part of our lives. Now let’s say that there was someone who was driving by at the time and saw me drop my keys and remembers it vividly for one reason or another. Even if I were to ask everyone who ever experienced any part of my life to put together the most detailed account of my life, there would clearly be some parts still missing. But then if my mother dies, a large number of experiences that I don’t remember and she does (changing my diaper, etc) would become unreachable.

If we did assume that events others remember which we do not are part of our identity (which is a fair assumption considering how much we don’t remember from our childhood), then would the saying “part of me died” when a person close to you dies be more accure than we think?