Space Time Matter

The use of a common knowledge is based on the supposition that such relations can be established by all of us.

The rationalist: (descarste and kant)all knowledge obtained through our senses are inaccurate, discredit the scientific knowledge, innate ideas derived from pure contemplation and reason. A priori form in our mind indpendent of outer experiences can then be applied to every experience as opposed to knowledge derievd from limited experience- posteriori.

The empiricists: (locke and hume) general knowledge comes from experience observation and experiment alone, only way is to go and search for facts but concede to intuitive truths like mathematical truths. Those who understood science best aware of religious implications. Geographical reasons continental vs british, love of abstract ideas vs practical investigation

Is priori important? It has been prove false by subsequent advances of science! Any statement cannot express absolute truths when stated without any qualification in the form of common language-has to be defined! Eg scientific prioris~

Instrumental aid-on the scale of nature, the laws of physics governing seem to change in different aspects-test of whether knowledge is genuine priori or it is merely an empricial knowledge of the man sized world. Rationalist is limited by the scientific limitations no instruments-only true for man -sized world. Fail own test of necessity and universibility.Tells us nothing about the special property of our own world! Only by method of science~

even mathematical prioris shown to be false in non euclidean geometry for eg even 2+2 depends on 2 refers to objects or numbers. If it refers to sea serpents we cannot conclude it applies until we knwo what a sea serpent is and thus it cant be a priori knowledge cos we dont know if the object still retain their identity after physical addition, must find definition that excludes such objects for it to hold true. . Addressed by..

Synthethic apriori knowledge-arithmethic(even numbers and measurable quantities exist!) Synthetic a priori proposition, in logic, a proposition the predicate of which is not logically or analytically contained in the subject—i.e., synthetic—and the truth of which is verifiable independently of experience—i.e., a priori. Thus the proposition “Some bodies are heavy” is synthetic because the idea of heaviness is not necessarily contained in that of bodies. In general the truth or falsity of synthetic statements is proved only by whether or not they conform to the way the world is and not by virtue of the meaning of the words they contain then qns begging name for posteriori??

Every thing must have a cause whats the cause of a priori? (Inherent constitution of the humna mind.) If not from the knowledge of the world how can it tell us about the world?

 Kant argues that apriori merely specifies the conditionto which phenomena must conform if they are to be percived. e.g. Electromagnetic spectrum our eyes percive visible light only.Our minds sort out nature in mnay ways depending on how they are constituted and represent habits of thought embedded in our own minds.So we know ap of things only2E

What is rationalism

the theory that reason rather than experience is the foundation of certainty in knowledge.

a priori - known independent of any experience

analytic-true by definition and necessary-true or false in all possible worlds

Why is empiricism opposite of rationalism

a prosteriori synthetic contingent

quantum mechanics and complex numbers riemann scrodingers cat

Leibniz

1. Principle of identity no two distinct objects are identical

1. Principle of sifficient reason everything must have a reason or cause.
2. Principle of Internal Harmony

ANALYTIC true by def, necessary, a priori

SYNTHETIC not nec true by def, not nec, a posteriori

Hume(induction)

1. analytic: all useful knowledge from sense, a pirori uselss-tautological
2. synthetic:
3. nonsense:

Causality  X causes Y – i)Priority ii) Continuity ii) Necessary connection if x then y.