--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have made some headway in addressing…" description: "\"I have made some headway in addressing these questions, however, and succeeded in explaining how it is that the category of knowledge might play an imp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/hilary-kornblith-11063_acid_i-have-made-some-headway-in-addressing-t_1515706.jpg" --- # I have made some headway in addressing these questions… ![“I have made some headway in addressing these questions, however, and succeeded in explaining how it is that the category of knowledge might play an important role in empirical theories. To the extent that talk of knowledge can be shown to play an explanatory role in such theories, the analogy I…” quote by Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/hilary-kornblith-11063_acid_i-have-made-some-headway-in-addressing-t_1515706.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/hilary-kornblith-11063_acid_i-have-made-some-headway-in-addressing-t_1515706.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/hilary-kornblith-11063_acid_i-have-made-some-headway-in-addressing-t_1515706.jpg) > “I have made some headway in addressing these questions, however, and succeeded in explaining how it is that the category of knowledge might play an important role in empirical theories. To the extent that talk of knowledge can be shown to play an explanatory role in such theories, the analogy I wish to make with paradigm natural kinds such as acids and aluminum starts to make a good deal of sense. This is, of course, connected with the issue of the role of intuitions in philosophy.” [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that knowledge categories can function like natural kinds, providing explanatory power in empirical theories, similar to how acids or aluminum are classified. **In simple terms:** Knowledge categories can act as explanatory tools in science. Key Takeaway Consider how conceptual categories shape scientific explanations. Themes philosophy of science epistemology natural kinds Mood analytical inquisitive critical Type philosophical analytical inspirational When to use this quote - theoretical research - science education - philosophical debate - methodological design Key Concepts explanatory role conceptual analysis intuition in philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What counts as a natural kind in science? - How do intuitions influence scientific theory formation? A Different Perspective The analogy may oversimplify complex scientific phenomena. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Analogies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analogies/) [Intuition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuition/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Paradigm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradigm/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Theories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theories/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [I was often asked how one could even make sense of this. Isn't the category of knowledge something that we project upon the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/i-was-often-asked-how-one-could-even-make-sense-of-this-isn-t-the/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [No one would suggest that we can adequately investigate what makes something an acid, or what makes something aluminum, by bringing our pretheoretical intuitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/no-one-would-suggest-that-we-can-adequately-investigate-what-makes/) [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/) > [Wrap the turkey up in aluminum foil, my brother like to masturbate with baby oil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-sandler/wrap-the-turkey-up-in-aluminum-foil-my-brother-like-to-masturbate/) [Adam Sandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-sandler/) > [Do you know my dream? I really want to become an aluminum-siding salesman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/do-you-know-my-dream-i-really-want-to-become-an-aluminum-siding/) [Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/) > [Dexter thrust a pamphlet into Samuel's hand. "Greenstreet Mission. We're doing a Christmas dinner. 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The city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/you-re-from-where-lay-en-it-s-near-salt-lake-city-spell-that-for-me/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) ## 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. 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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. 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