Incorrigibility

Incorrigibility

In philosophy, incorrigibility is a property of a philosophical proposition, which implies that it is necessarily true simply by virtue of being believed. A common example of such a proposition is René Descartes' "cogito ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am).

Johnathan Harrison has argued ["The incorrigibility of the cogito," Johnathan Harrison, "Mind: New Series," Vol. 93, No. XCIII, 1984.] that "" may be the wrong term, since it seems to imply (by the dictionary definition) [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Incorrigible] a sense that the beliefs cannot be "changed," which isn't actually true. In Harrison's view, the incorrigibility of a proposition actually implies something about the nature of "believing"---for example, that one must exist in order to believe---rather than the nature of the proposition itself.

For illustration, consider Descartes': I think, therefore I exist.Stated in incorrigible form, this could be: "That I believe that I exist implies that my belief is true." Harrison argues that a belief being true is really only incidental to the matter, that really what the cogito proves is that "belief" implies "existence." One could equally well say, "That I believe God exists implies that I exist," or "That I believe I do not exist implies that my belief is false."---and these would have the same essential meaning as the cogito.

Charles Raff ["Introspection and Incorrigibility," Charles Raff, "Philosophy and Phenomenological Research," Vol.27, No. 1, 1966.] draws a distinction between three types of incorrigibility:
* Type-1: It is logically necessary that, when the statement is sincerely made, it is true.
* Type-2: It is necessary that when the statement is believed to be true, it is true.
* Type-3: It is necessary that when the statement is true, it is believed to be true.It should be noted that type-2 and type-3 incorrigibility are logical converses, and therefore logically independent. Charles Raff argues that introspection is not type-1 incorrigible, but is in fact type-2 and type-3 incorrigible.

References


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Incorrigibility — In*cor ri*gi*bil i*ty, n. [Cf. F. incorrigibilit[ e].] The state or quality of being incorrigible. [1913 Webster] The ingratitude, the incorrigibility, the strange perverseness . . . of mankind. Barrow. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • incorrigibility — (n.) late 15c., from INCORRIGIBLE (Cf. incorrigible) + ITY (Cf. ity) …   Etymology dictionary

  • incorrigibility — incorrigible ► ADJECTIVE ▪ not able to be corrected or reformed. DERIVATIVES incorrigibility noun incorrigibly adverb. ORIGIN Latin incorrigibilis, from in not + corrigibilis correctable …   English terms dictionary

  • incorrigibility — noun see incorrigible …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • incorrigibility — See incorrigible. * * * …   Universalium

  • incorrigibility — noun The condition of being incorrigible …   Wiktionary

  • incorrigibility — n. quality of being evil beyond correction, state of being unreformable; uncontrollability, quality of being unreceptive to discipline; unchangeabilityin·cor·ri·gi·bil·i·ty || ‚ɪnkÉ‘rɪdÊ’É™ bɪlÉ™tɪ , kÉ”r / kÉ’r …   English contemporary dictionary

  • incorrigibility — in·corrigibility …   English syllables

  • incorrigibility — See incorrigible child …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • incorrigibility — (|)in, ən+ noun : the quality or state of being incorrigible …   Useful english dictionary

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