Knowledge and Inquiry
Essays on the Pragmatism of Isaac Levi

The essays in this volume contribute substantially to the understanding of Isaac Levi's work.

Erik J. Olsson (Author)

9780521845564, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 13 February 2006

400 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.5 cm, 0.76 kg

Isaac Levi has explored the principles of American pragmatism in greater depth and more consistency than others before him. The result is a sophisticated and powerful philosophical system whose key elements stand in stark opposition not only to mainstream epistemology, but also to the positions of other contemporary authors writing in the same pragmatist tradition. The essays in this volume, written by some of philosophy's finest scholars, contribute substantially to the understanding and appraisal of Levi's work. Included in this volume are Levi's extensive and provocative replies to his critics, which offer access to his thinking on a wide range of topics. The introduction provides a concise, systematic presentation of the cornerstone of Levi's pragmatism. Suitable for students and scholars who are interested in American pragmatism in general and Isaac Levi's work in particular, this book is an ideal companion to Levi's own writings.

Introduction Erik J. Olsson
1. Isaac Levi and his pragmatist lineage Cheryl Misak
2. Is pragmatist truth irrelevant to inquiry? Andre Fuhrmann
3. The knowledge business Philip Kitcher
4. Infallibility and incorrigibility Bengt Hansson
5. Why inconsistency is not hell: making room for inconsistency in science Otavio Bueno
6. Levi on risk Nils-Eric Sahlin
7. Vexed convexity Henry E. Kyburg
8. Levi's chances D. H. Mellor
9. Isaac Levi's potentially surprising epistemological picture Wolfgang Spohn
10. Isaac Levi on abduction Maurice Pagnucco
11. Potential answers - to what question? Erik J. Olsson
12. Levi and the lottery Erik J. Olsson
13. The value of truth and the value of information: on Isaac Levi's epistemology Hans Rott
14. Decision-theoretic contraction and sequential change Horacio Arlo-Costa
15. Deciding what you know Mark Kaplan
16. Levi's ideals Sven Ove Hansson
17. The mind we do not change Wolfram Hinzen
18. Psychoanalysis as technology Akeel Bilgrami
19. Levi on money pumps and diachronic Dutch books Wlodek Rabinowicz
20. Levi on the reality of dispositions Johannes Persson
21. Replies Isaac Levi.

Subject Areas: Analytical philosophy & Logical Positivism [HPCF5], Philosophy [HP]