PHIL 1612 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Modus Tollens, Scientism, Episteme
13 Mar 2016
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We are apt to refer to someone as irrational if they are logically inconsistent and knowingly so. But notice, it is of little help in refuting relativism. Different cultures, time periods of our own culture, can be logically consistent internal to the set of beliefs, background practices and understanding that defines and demarcates that culture or time period. That is, as logically consistent as permitted - no set of beliefs are logically consistent, we all have tensions and paradoxes to deal with. Thus, we have no rational reason to prefer one such paradigm or set over another. On the test of logical consistency they all suffice. Taylor: while logical consistency is a mark of rationality we have and need a richer notion of rationality. We seek to understand the layout of reality apart from or at least not intrinsically connected to our goals, interests and needs. (ii) we value such a disengaged perspective as a higher view of reality.
