History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 264 - Giorgio Pini on Scotus on Knowledge
Nov 6, 2016
Giorgio Pini, expert in Duns Scotus' epistemology, discusses Aquinas' concept of knowledge, Skodos' argument against skeptics, the theory of the University of Being, and the influence of Scotus on early modern thinkers.
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Scotus: Sensory Start, Not Sensory Finish
- Scotus agrees we start from sensory accidents like color and smell to form concepts of objects.
- He rejects that senses alone can account for our sophisticated concepts and stresses additional cognitive work.
Inferential Powers Bridge Accidents To Substances
- Scotus emphasizes inferential mental capacities to bridge from accidents to an underlying subject.
- He thinks our minds are predisposed to form such inferences often unconsciously, not via a deliberate step-by-step thought.
Stability Of Bundles Implies A Subject
- Scotus argues that the best explanation for stable bundles of properties is an underlying subject that persists through change.
- This echoes Aristotle's notion of substance as what undergoes change and preserves identity.