MATTHEW DUNCOMBE matthew.duncombe@nottingham.ac.uk
Associate Professor
Fine-grained and Coarse-grained Knowledge in Euthydemus 293b7–d1
Duncombe, Matthew
Authors
Abstract
McCabe [2021: 137–40] identifies a crucial ambiguity in the terms ‘learns’ and ‘knows’. Such terms can be read as either ‘perfective’ or ‘imperfective’. This is an aspect difference. The former indicates a settled state, the latter a directed process. McCabe uses this insight to show how Socrates can rebut the sophists’ view of meaning, render compelling Socrates’ self-refutation arguments, and explain the Socratic connections between learning, knowledge, and how one should live. In the final section of the Euthydemus, Euthydemus offers the ‘Omniscience Sophism’, and the related, rather cheeky, ‘Father Sophisms’. McCabe [ibid.: 140–2] suggests that the Omniscience Sophism might be addressed by identifying an aspect ambiguity, but does not follow up her point in detail. In this response, I argue that McCabe’s instinct is good and that a relative term, such as ‘knowledgeable’, can be understood as having two senses. That distinction is between what I call ‘fine-grained’ and ‘coarse-grained’ senses of ‘knowledgeable’. I suggest that this distinction that tracks McCabe’s aspect distinction between senses of ‘learns’ and best explains the fallacy committed in the Omniscience Sophism.
Citation
Duncombe, M. (2019). Fine-grained and Coarse-grained Knowledge in Euthydemus 293b7–d1. Australasian Philosophical Review, 3(2), 198-205. https://doi.org/10.1080/24740500.2020.1716666
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Acceptance Date | Dec 17, 2019 |
Online Publication Date | Jan 22, 2021 |
Publication Date | Apr 3, 2019 |
Deposit Date | Aug 12, 2021 |
Publicly Available Date | Aug 12, 2021 |
Journal | Australasian Philosophical Review |
Print ISSN | 2474-0500 |
Electronic ISSN | 2474-0519 |
Publisher | Taylor & Francis (Routledge) |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 3 |
Issue | 2 |
Pages | 198-205 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1080/24740500.2020.1716666 |
Public URL | https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/6014210 |
Publisher URL | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/24740500.2020.1716666?journalCode=rapr20 |
Additional Information | This is an Accepted Manuscript version of the following article, accepted for publication in Australasian Philosophical Review, Matthew Duncombe (2019) Fine-grained and Coarse-grained Knowledge in Euthydemus 293b7–d1, Australasian Philosophical Review, 3:2, 198-205. It is deposited under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
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