--- title: "6 Arguing Quotes By Hilary Kornblith" description: "6 Arguing quotes by Hilary Kornblith. Plus more from Hilary Kornblith and more Arguing sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ed/hilary-kornblith-11063_animal_the-fact-that-these-scientific-theories_139196.jpg" --- > [The fact that these scientific theories have a fine track record of successful prediction and explanation speaks for itself. (Which is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-fact-that-these-scientific-theories-have-a-fine-track-record-of/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ed/hilary-kornblith-11063_animal_the-fact-that-these-scientific-theories_139196.jpg) > [I argue is that philosophers have had a tendency to present a kind of mystical view of the powers of reflection. Unreflective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/i-argue-is-that-philosophers-have-had-a-tendency-to-present-a-kind-of/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_i-argue-is-that-philosophers-have-had-a_1185529.jpg) > [What I argue is that talk of knowledge plays an important role in theories within cognitive ethology. The idea is this. First,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/what-i-argue-is-that-talk-of-knowledge-plays-an-important-role-in/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/hilary-kornblith-11063_achievement_what-i-argue-is-that-talk-of-knowledge-p_1764700.jpg) > [Talk of belief in these animals is not some kind of anthropomorphism. We simply cannot explain the kinds of problem solving and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/talk-of-belief-in-these-animals-is-not-some-kind-of-anthropomorphism/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/hilary-kornblith-11063_animal_talk-of-belief-in-these-animals-is-not-s_2025241.jpg) > [Bealer argues that the kind of naturalistic view which Quine holds will rob him of the ability to make the normative claims…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/bealer-argues-that-the-kind-of-naturalistic-view-which-quine-holds/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a95/hilary-kornblith-11063_ability_bealer-argues-that-the-kind-of-naturalis_2603748.jpg) > [Ethologists thus have an interest in looking at these capacities for the reliable acquisition of belief, and it is not surprising that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/ethologists-thus-have-an-interest-in-looking-at-these-capacities-for/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d36/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_ethologists-thus-have-an-interest-in-loo_2617886.jpg) ## Other authors on Arguing ## More by Hilary Kornblith > [I think that when I first suggested the idea that knowledge should be viewed as a natural kind, many people thought this was just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/i-think-that-when-i-first-suggested-the-idea-that-knowledge-should-be/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [The fact that these scientific theories have a fine track record of successful prediction and explanation speaks for itself. (Which is not to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-fact-that-these-scientific-theories-have-a-fine-track-record-of/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [I am quite wedded to the view that epistemologists should concern themselves with knowledge rather than our concept of knowledge. The analogy I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/i-am-quite-wedded-to-the-view-that-epistemologists-should-concern/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [The role of empirical work in informing our philosophical theories, as I see it, is not that it gives us a better view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-role-of-empirical-work-in-informing-our-philosophical-theories-as/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [Here, as in so many other cases, however, it turns out that a very commonsensical idea looks far less attractive when one examines some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/here-as-in-so-many-other-cases-however-it-turns-out-that-a-very/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [The kind of approach I take is different from much of experimental philosophy. Although the experimental philosophers and I are certainly in agreement about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-kind-of-approach-i-take-is-different-from-much-of-experimental/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [The fact that we have been able to develop a successful science, which issues in ever more accurate predictions and broader explanations, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-fact-that-we-have-been-able-to-develop-a-successful-science-which/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [By putting the first-person point of view in a naturalistic perspective, I believe that we may genuinely come to understand it for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/by-putting-the-first-person-point-of-view-in-a-naturalistic/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [The worry that unreflective belief acquisition may be unreliable, after all, applies equally to reflective belief acquisition: it too may be unreliable. To my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-worry-that-unreflective-belief-acquisition-may-be-unreliable/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [When I got to college, I planned to be a math major, and, in addition to signing up for some math courses, I decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/when-i-got-to-college-i-planned-to-be-a-math-major-and-in-addition-to/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [When reflection is thereby demystified, I believe that the temptation to view human knowledge as different in kind from animal knowledge is undermined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/when-reflection-is-thereby-demystified-i-believe-that-the-temptation/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [Internalist approaches to epistemology, I believe, have a great deal of intuitive appeal. Internalists believe that the features in virtue of which a belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/internalist-approaches-to-epistemology-i-believe-have-a-great-deal-of/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [What we need to do, however, is figure out what our best available theories of the mind suggest about epistemological issues, while we recognise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/what-we-need-to-do-however-is-figure-out-what-our-best-available/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [I largely defer to the cognitive ethologists. I believe that the arguments that they make on this score are extremely persuasive. More than this,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/i-largely-defer-to-the-cognitive-ethologists-i-believe-that-the/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [Rather, although belief may be adequate for explaining the behavior of individual animals - an animal which believes that p will behave no differently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/rather-although-belief-may-be-adequate-for-explaining-the-behavior-of/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/hilary-kornblith/#itemlist", "name": "6 Arguing Quotes By Hilary Kornblith", "numberOfItems": 6, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The fact that these scientific theories have a fine track record of successful prediction and explanation speaks for itself. (Which is not to say that I don't directly discuss the work of those philosophers who would disagree.) But even if we grant this, many will argue that scientific knowledge in humans, and, indeed, reflective knowledge in general, is quite different in kind from the knowledge we see in other animals.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hilary Kornblith" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/the-fact-that-these-scientific-theories-have-a-fine-track-record-of/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ed/hilary-kornblith-11063_animal_the-fact-that-these-scientific-theories_139196.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ed/hilary-kornblith-11063_animal_the-fact-that-these-scientific-theories_139196.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ed/hilary-kornblith-11063_animal_the-fact-that-these-scientific-theories_139196.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The fact that these scientific theories have a fine track record of successful prediction and explanation…” — Hilary Kornblith", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I argue is that philosophers have had a tendency to present a kind of mystical view of the powers of reflection. Unreflective belief acquisition is seen in mechanistic terms, but when philosophers talk about reflection, it is as if reflective processes are not bound by the kinds of limitations which inevitably arise from being embedded within the same causal structure which governs unreflective belief acquisition.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hilary Kornblith" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/i-argue-is-that-philosophers-have-had-a-tendency-to-present-a-kind-of/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_i-argue-is-that-philosophers-have-had-a_1185529.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_i-argue-is-that-philosophers-have-had-a_1185529.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63a/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_i-argue-is-that-philosophers-have-had-a_1185529.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I argue is that philosophers have had a tendency to present a kind of mystical view of the powers of…” — Hilary Kornblith", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What I argue is that talk of knowledge plays an important role in theories within cognitive ethology. The idea is this. First, one sees cognitive ethologists arguing that we need to attribute propositional attitudes to some animals in order to explain the sophistication of their cognitive achievements.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hilary Kornblith" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/what-i-argue-is-that-talk-of-knowledge-plays-an-important-role-in/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/hilary-kornblith-11063_achievement_what-i-argue-is-that-talk-of-knowledge-p_1764700.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/hilary-kornblith-11063_achievement_what-i-argue-is-that-talk-of-knowledge-p_1764700.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f1/hilary-kornblith-11063_achievement_what-i-argue-is-that-talk-of-knowledge-p_1764700.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What I argue is that talk of knowledge plays an important role in theories within cognitive ethology. The…” — Hilary Kornblith", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Talk of belief in these animals is not some kind of anthropomorphism. We simply cannot explain the kinds of problem solving and behavioral sophistication some species exhibit without supposing that they have genuine beliefs. But once these ethologists finish making the case for animal belief, they quickly move to talk of animal knowledge as well. What I argue is that this is not a mere façon de parler.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hilary Kornblith" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/talk-of-belief-in-these-animals-is-not-some-kind-of-anthropomorphism/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/hilary-kornblith-11063_animal_talk-of-belief-in-these-animals-is-not-s_2025241.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/hilary-kornblith-11063_animal_talk-of-belief-in-these-animals-is-not-s_2025241.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/hilary-kornblith-11063_animal_talk-of-belief-in-these-animals-is-not-s_2025241.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Talk of belief in these animals is not some kind of anthropomorphism. We simply cannot explain the kinds of…” — Hilary Kornblith", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Bealer argues that the kind of naturalistic view which Quine holds will rob him of the ability to make the normative claims which (many) naturalists wish to make in epistemology. I don't think this is right about Quine, but I'm certain it's not right about my own view. To the extent that I can show that talk of knowledge is firmly rooted within empirical theories where it plays an important explanatory role, I thereby demonstrate its naturalistic credentials.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hilary Kornblith" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/bealer-argues-that-the-kind-of-naturalistic-view-which-quine-holds/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a95/hilary-kornblith-11063_ability_bealer-argues-that-the-kind-of-naturalis_2603748.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a95/hilary-kornblith-11063_ability_bealer-argues-that-the-kind-of-naturalis_2603748.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a95/hilary-kornblith-11063_ability_bealer-argues-that-the-kind-of-naturalis_2603748.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Bealer argues that the kind of naturalistic view which Quine holds will rob him of the ability to make the…” — Hilary Kornblith", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ethologists thus have an interest in looking at these capacities for the reliable acquisition of belief, and it is not surprising that they have a name for the true beliefs which are the typical product of these reliable capacities. They call them items of knowledge. So I argue that talk of knowledge may thereby be seen to be embedded within a successful empirical theory.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hilary Kornblith" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/ethologists-thus-have-an-interest-in-looking-at-these-capacities-for/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d36/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_ethologists-thus-have-an-interest-in-loo_2617886.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d36/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_ethologists-thus-have-an-interest-in-loo_2617886.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d36/hilary-kornblith-11063_acquisition_ethologists-thus-have-an-interest-in-loo_2617886.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ethologists thus have an interest in looking at these capacities for the reliable acquisition of belief, and…” — Hilary Kornblith", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/hilary-kornblith/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/hilary-kornblith/", "name": "Arguing Quotes by Hilary Kornblith", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/hilary-kornblith/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ed/hilary-kornblith-11063_animal_the-fact-that-these-scientific-theories_139196.jpg" }, "description": "6 Arguing quotes by Hilary Kornblith. Plus more from Hilary Kornblith and more Arguing sayings from other authors.", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/hilary-kornblith/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/hilary-kornblith/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Topics", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Arguing", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "name": "Hilary Kornblith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/hilary-kornblith/" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```