--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Work on causal theories of knowledge…" description: "\"Work on causal theories of knowledge - early work by Armstrong, and Dretske, and Goldman - seemed far more satisfying. As I started to see the ways in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/hilary-kornblith-11063_armstrong_work-on-causal-theories-of-knowledge-ear_2625665.jpg" --- # Work on causal theories of knowledge - early work by… ![“Work on causal theories of knowledge - early work by Armstrong, and Dretske, and Goldman - seemed far more satisfying. As I started to see the ways in which work in the cognitive sciences could inform our understanding of central epistemological issues, my whole idea of what the philosophical…” quote by Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/hilary-kornblith-11063_armstrong_work-on-causal-theories-of-knowledge-ear_2625665.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/hilary-kornblith-11063_armstrong_work-on-causal-theories-of-knowledge-ear_2625665.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff4/hilary-kornblith-11063_armstrong_work-on-causal-theories-of-knowledge-ear_2625665.jpg) > “Work on causal theories of knowledge - early work by Armstrong, and Dretske, and Goldman - seemed far more satisfying. As I started to see the ways in which work in the cognitive sciences could inform our understanding of central epistemological issues, my whole idea of what the philosophical enterprise is all about began to change. Quine certainly played a role here, as did Putnam's (pre-1975) work in philosophy of science, and the exciting developments that went on in that time in philosophy of mind.” [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 author reflects on how integrating cognitive science with epistemology reshaped their view of philosophy, citing influential thinkers. **In simple terms:** Cognitive science changed their philosophical outlook. Key Takeaway Embrace interdisciplinary insights. Themes philosophy epistemology cognitive science interdisciplinarity Mood introspective analytical Type academic reflective When to use this quote - academic research - teaching philosophy - cross‑disciplinary projects - grant proposals Key Concepts theory of knowledge mind science philosophy of science Questions to Reflect On - How can cognitive methods enrich epistemology? - What challenges arise when merging disciplines? A Different Perspective Interdisciplinary work can face methodological conflicts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armstrong/) [Central Epistemological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/central-epistemological-2147863/) [Cognitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cognitive/) [Cognitive science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cognitive-science/) [Development](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/development/) [Early work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-work/) [Enterprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enterprise/) [Epistemological Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epistemological-issues-2147861/) [Exciting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exciting/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Philosophical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophical/) [Philosophical Enterprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophical-enterprise-2147860/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Philosophy Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-mind-589823/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Philosophy of science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-science/) [Roles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roles/) [Satisfying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satisfying/) [Theories Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theories-knowledge-2147862/) [Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory/) [Theory of knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory-of-knowledge/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) ## Related quotes > [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 do think that an understanding of contemporary work in the cognitive sciences has a profound effect on how one views the workings of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/i-do-think-that-an-understanding-of-contemporary-work-in-the/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [A history of civilization shares the presumptuousness of every philosophical enterprise: it offers the ridiculous spectacle of a fragment expounding the whole. Like philosophy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/a-history-of-civilization-shares-the-presumptuousness-of-every/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [“While any software system introduces some kind of formalization of the world, HCI (like AI) deals with formalizations of human cognition and activity. These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dourish/while-any-software-system-introduces-some-kind-of-formalization-of/) [Paul Dourish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dourish/) > [“No conceptually regimented and normatively informed theory of mental disorder can be devised without taking philosophy of mind seriously and knowing something about this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-graham/no-conceptually-regimented-and-normatively-informed-theory-of-mental/) [George Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-graham/) > [I think that consciousness has always been the most important topic in the philosophy of mind, and one of the most important topics in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chalmers/i-think-that-consciousness-has-always-been-the-most-important-topic/) [David Chalmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chalmers/) > [There is no real philosophy until the mind turns around and examines itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/there-is-no-real-philosophy-until-the-mind-turns-around-and-examines/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [By philosophy the mind of man comes to itself, and from henceforth rests on itself without foreign aid, and is completely master of itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-gottlieb-fichte/by-philosophy-the-mind-of-man-comes-to-itself-and-from-henceforth/) [Johann Gottlieb Fichte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-gottlieb-fichte/) > [“Once intangled with the bondage of drugs, the philosophy was "mind over matter" this belief would help to keep my mind from an abusive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarran-carter/once-intangled-with-the-bondage-of-drugs-the-philosophy-was-mind-over/) [Tarran Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarran-carter/) > [Plotinus, when he thinks about mind or intellect, the Greek word is 'nous', he thinks about something that's very different, it's much more elevated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-adamson/plotinus-when-he-thinks-about-mind-or-intellect-the-greek-word-is/) [Peter Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-adamson/) > [“The concept of divine revelation was central to Augustine's epistemology, or theory of knowledge. The metaphor of light is instructive. In our present earthly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul-2/the-concept-of-divine-revelation-was-central-to-augustine-s/) [R.C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul-2/) > [Radical constructivism, thus, is radical because it breaks with convention and develops a theory of knowledge in which knowledge does not reflect an 'objective'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/radical-constructivism-thus-is-radical-because-it-breaks-with/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [“It must be \*possible\* for the \*I think\* to accompany all my representations: for otherwise something would be represented within me that could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/it-must-be-possible-for-the-i-think-to-accompany-all-my/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [ \[Knowledge is governed not by\] a theory of knowledge, but by a theory of discursive practice. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/knowledge-is-governed-not-by-a-theory-of-knowledge-but-by-a-theory-of/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [“At the same time, it has to be recognized that the conditions for this objectivity are not easily won. They cannot rely on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-f-d-young/at-the-same-time-it-has-to-be-recognized-that-the-conditions-for-this/) [Michael F.D. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-f-d-young/) ## 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/) [Explore all 62 Hilary Kornblith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) ## More Armstrong quotes > [I think we've all had enough of Coltrane saxophonists. There's a case of someone ruining a generation of saxophonists, as Louis Armstrong may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bley/i-think-we-ve-all-had-enough-of-coltrane-saxophonists-there-s-a-case/) [Paul Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bley/) > [Man, you'd be surprised how much I'm learning - not only about myself, but about the musicians who came before me. You don't realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-hubbard/man-you-d-be-surprised-how-much-i-m-learning-not-only-about-myself/) [Freddie Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-hubbard/) > [Lance Armstrong won seven Tours, that's 147 days of racing, and he never had a puncture or a mechanical. You can really minimise your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cavendish/lance-armstrong-won-seven-tours-that-s-147-days-of-racing-and-he/) [Mark Cavendish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cavendish/) > [Fantastic truths perish slower... Sappho's moon will survive the moon of Armstrong. Different computations are necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odysseas-elytis/fantastic-truths-perish-slower-sappho-s-moon-will-survive-the-moon-of/) [Odysseas Elytis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odysseas-elytis/) > [I listened to King Oliver and I listened to Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, Archie Shepp... I listened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/i-listened-to-king-oliver-and-i-listened-to-louis-armstrong-jelly/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [I saw a guy wearing a "What Would Jesus Do?" bracelet and a Lance Armstrong bracelet, and he went up to this blind kid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tosh/i-saw-a-guy-wearing-a-what-would-jesus-do-bracelet-and-a-lance/) [Daniel Tosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tosh/) > [Then there are some minor points that strike me as suggestive - for instance, the position of Mrs. Hubbard's sponge bag, the name of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/then-there-are-some-minor-points-that-strike-me-as-suggestive-for/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [I went on a Buddha jag. I read 'Confession of a Buddhist Atheist' by Stephen Batchelor and Karen Armstrong's biography of Buddha, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-o-hare/i-went-on-a-buddha-jag-i-read-confession-of-a-buddhist-atheist-by/) [Denis O'Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-o-hare/) > [ \[Louis Armstrong\] could play a trumpet like nobody else, then put it down and sing a song like no one else could. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-condon/louis-armstrong-could-play-a-trumpet-like-nobody-else-then-put-it/) [Eddie Condon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-condon/) > [Louis Armstrong is jazz. He represents what the music is all about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/louis-armstrong-is-jazz-he-represents-what-the-music-is-all-about/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [What we will have attained when Neil Armstrong steps down upon the moon is a completely new step in the evolution of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wernher-von-braun/what-we-will-have-attained-when-neil-armstrong-steps-down-upon-the/) [Wernher von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wernher-von-braun/) > [I've never felt Truth was Beauty. Never. I've always felt that people can't take too much reality. I like being in Ingmar Bergman's world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-ve-never-felt-truth-was-beauty-never-i-ve-always-felt-that-people/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [If it weren't for greed, intolerance, hate, passion and murder, you would have no works of art, no great buildings, no medical science, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/if-it-weren-t-for-greed-intolerance-hate-passion-and-murder-you-would/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [Armstrong, sitting in the commander's seat, spacesuit on, helmet on, plugged into electrical and environmental umbilical's, is a man who is not only a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/armstrong-sitting-in-the-commander-s-seat-spacesuit-on-helmet-on/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [If you look at anyone who has achieved great success and wealth, people like Warren Buffett, Oprah Winfrey, or Lance Armstrong, they have all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/if-you-look-at-anyone-who-has-achieved-great-success-and-wealth/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) [Browse all 180 Armstrong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armstrong/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Work on causal theories of knowledge - early work by Armstrong, and Dretske, and Goldman - seemed far more satisfying. 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