Belief and Knowledge
Mapping the Cognitive Landscape
Published on 13. November 1997
Book
Paperback/Softback
248 pages
978-0-8476-8473-1 (ISBN)
Description
Contesting much contemporary epistemology and cognitive science, noted philosopher Kenneth M. Sayre argues that, while some cognitive attitudes such as believing take propositions as objects, there are many others (knowing, hoping, fearing, etc.) whose objects are instead states of affairs. Therefore, knowledge cannot be belief with other factors such as justification added, nor can hope and fear be relations a subject bears to neuronal brain states functioning as propositional representations. To support these claims Sayre undertakes a detailed exploration of belief and knowledge and traces the relations of cognitive attitudes to a network of related concepts like certainty, truth, representation, and intentionality. His findings not only challenge current orthodoxy but open new paths of research in epistemology and cognitive science.
Reviews / Votes
This is an ambitious, indeed an audacious, book . . . I do not know of another book of its scope or insight written in the past decade. It is a rare combination of systematic philosophy and ordinary language insights that conjures the diverse images of J. L. Austin and C. I. Lewis. -- Steven Horst, Wesleyan University This is a groundbreaking book. . . . it deserves the highest recommendation for all undergraduate and graduate collections. -- J. White, University of Maine * Choice Reviews * The book is well-written and engaging. -- Sarah Sawyer, University of Kansas The product of more than 20 years of specialized work in philosophy and cognitive science, this is a groundbreaking book. * Choice Reviews *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
534 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8476-8473-1 (9780847684731)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Kenneth M. Sayre is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame and the author of fifteen previous books on subjects ranging from artificial intelligence to Platonic dialogues.