Epistemic Aphorisms is a wide-ranging consideration of issues in epistemology.
Epistemic Aphorisms is a wide-ranging consideration of issues in epistemology, from the classical and familiar (knowledge and justified true belief, and the problem of induction) to the unusual and often neglected (what alien science might look like, the ethics of epistemology, and the limits of conceptualization). In particular, it addresses questions in epistemology that are not generally asked, including questions regarding the ethics of secrets, the costs of inquiry, the factual trajectory of amassed information and its philosophical implications, and the prospect of science based on radically different categories. These inquiries are accompanied by suggestions for formal treatment in epistemic logic, again in directions that have not been previously pursued.
This book will be of use for undergraduate and graduate courses on epistemology and systems of knowledge, and will also appeal to those undertaking advanced research in the field.
Preface Introduction Reality and Our Cognitive Access to It
Knowledge and Inquiry Securing Knowledge Trust and Presumption Quality
and Quantity of Information Cognitive Dynamics Cognitive Systematization
Cognitive Obstacles Alien Science The Unknown: Cognitive Horizons
Cognitive Limits and Limitations Ultimate Questions Cognitive Ethics
Conclusion Name Index.
Nicholas Rescher, who sadly passed away just as this book went to press, was a widely published philosopher. He was awarded the Aquinas Medal of the American Catholic Philosophical Association, the Helmholtz Medal of the Berlin/Brandenburg Academy of Sciences, and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. He also received honorarydegrees from eight universities on three continents.
