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The epistemic standpoint of rationality (particularly Cartesianism) assumes a static arrangement of knowledge, where one uses analytic reason to gradually unvei
by bluetomcat 3y ago
The epistemic standpoint of rationality (particularly Cartesianism) assumes a static arrangement of knowledge, where one uses analytic reason to gradually unveil bits of it like finding new territory on a map. It is rooted in analytic geometry.
David Hume challenged this view. His main insight was that an object we call "A" in time T1 may not be the same object in time T2. We also need to distinguish between "A" as an idea of an object and "A" as a particular instance of object.
- voidhorse 3y agoAlong similar lines, critiques of Cartesianism in epistemology have also pointed out the heavily social aspects of knowledge construction, see situated epistemologies etc. Even epistemologists in the analytic tradition have begun to move away from Cartesianism due to its limitations. TBH, taking an epistemic stance that's primarily cartesian these days mostly just shows that you're (likely) ignorant to basically the entire history of development and research in epistemology after Descartes. Cartesianism is a very useful perspective and method for certain things, but as a general epistemology it's quite crusty.