Philosophy of philosophy: Can philosophical theses be ‘true justified beliefs’?

Authors

  • Alberto Oliva Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-6746.2014.1.13539

Keywords:

Metaphilosophy. Truth. Epistemic justification. Cognitive meaning.

Abstract

Starting from the epistemic requirements stated by the standard view of knowledge, according to which knowledge is ‘justified true belief’, this article aims to identify the reasons why substantive philosophical theories have failed to satisfy them. Accepted this view of knowledge, philosophy will hardly be able to assign cognitive
status to its theories. This article also intends to show that philosophy has its cognitive credibility put in check when it constructs abstruse
rhetorical exercises that speciously seek to legitimize themselves as knowledge. Besides forging philosophical theories deprived of cognitive value, philosophy creates theories composed by propositions clearly meaningless. In developing theories devoid of any cognitive potential and theories whose propositions lack meaning, philosophy is liable to have its cognitivity seriously questioned. However, the final assessment of philosophy cannot be confined to its cognitive dimension since its theories have the power of providing ways of seeing reality even when they fail in their attempts to explain objects.

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Author Biography

Alberto Oliva, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Doutorado em Filosofia (UFRJ), Pós-doutorado (Universidade de Siena), Professor Associado IV do Depto de Filosofia da UFRJ, Pesquisado 1-B do CNPq. Coordenado do Centro de Epistemologia e História da Ciência do PPGLM.

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Published

2014-06-04

How to Cite

Oliva, A. (2014). Philosophy of philosophy: Can philosophical theses be ‘true justified beliefs’?. Veritas (Porto Alegre), 59(1), 106–142. https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-6746.2014.1.13539