Abstract
Modal arguments like the Knowledge Argument, the Conceivability Argument and the Inverted Spectrum Argument could be used to argue for experiential primitivism; the view that experiential truths aren’t entailed from nonexperiential truths. A way to resist these arguments is to follow Stoljar (Ignorance and imagination. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2006) and plead ignorance of a type of experience-relevant nonexperiential truth. If we are ignorant of such a truth, we can’t imagine or conceive of the various sorts of scenarios that are required to make these arguments sound. While I am sympathetic to this response, in this article I will argue that we have good reason to believe that this particular ignorance hypothesis is false.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 251-269 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | Philosophical Studies |
Volume | 163 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 14 Sept 2011 |
Keywords
- Conceivability
- Consciousness
- Epistemic gap
- Ignorance hypothesis
- Panpsychism
- Physicalism
- Qualia
- Ramseyan humility
- Zombies