STUART FOWLER
Thesis accepted in the Faculty of Arts of the Potchefstroomse Universiteit vir Christelike Hoer Onderwys in fulfilment of the requirements
for the degree of Doctor Philosophiae
Promoter: Prof. N.T. van der Merwe
I
1 : THE PROBLEM IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT
1.1 Introduction 1
1.1.1 The Aims of this Study 1
1.1.2 Research Background 1
1.1.3 The Special Importance of a
Systematic Historical Orientation 3 1.2 Identifying the Contours of the Problem 8
1.2.1 The Justificationist Problem 8
1.2.2 The Problem of Evaluative Critertia 12 1.2.3 The Problem of Intersubjective Universality 14 1.2.4 The Role of the Knowing Subject 18 1.3 The Metaphysical Problem 21 1.4 Cognitive Status of Science 23 1.5 The Historical Background 26 1.5.1 Knowing as Rational Apprehension of Universal Truth 27
1.5.2 Knowing as Rational Abstraction from Sensory Experience 30
1.5.3 Knowing as Rational Processing of Sensory Data 37 1. 5.4 Rationalism and Irrationalism.
Intellectualism and Empiricism 40 1. 5. 5 The Greek Heritage 44 1. 5.6 The Consolidation of the Rationalist Tradition 51 1.5.7 The Divorce of Epistemology and Metaphysics 52 1.5.8 Knowing as Rational Formation 55 1. 5.9 The Renewal of Empiricism 59 1.5.10 Epistemology as Logical Analysis of Language 65 1.5.11 The Development of a Constructivi&t Epistemology 70 1.6 Piaget. Popper and Polanyi - Convergence and a New Divergence 77
1.7 Summary 85
2: THE EPISTEMOLOGY OF JEAN PIAGET
2.1 Introduction 89
2. 1. 1 A Major Epistemological Enterprise 89 2.1.2 "Epistemology" and "Epistemologie" 92 2.1.3 Why "genetique" 93 2 .1. 4 Knowledge as Open-ended Activity 99 2.1.5 Knowledge as a Progressive Spiral 100 2.1.6 Scientific Epistemology and the Piagetian Vision 103 2 .1. 7 The Need for a Systematic Review 108 2.1.8 Questions of Terminology 109 2.2 Constructivism and Structuralism
JIO
2.3 Cognitive Abstraction 114 2.4 Cognitive Structures and Formal Systems 124 2.5 Cognition as Dialectical Process 1282.7 Objectivity, Necessity and Theories 2.8 Realism Without Empiricism
145 162 174 187 189 204 2.9 Commitment, Weltanschauungen and Epistemic Frameworks
2.10 An Affinity with Pragmatism?
2.11 The Piagetian Epistemology : An Overview 2.12 Conclusion
3: THE KNOWING SUBJECT IN PIAGET, POPPER AND POLANYI
3.1 Introduction 207
3.1.1 Under the Shadow of Kant 207
3.1.2 Psychological Data and Piagetian Epistemology 216
3.2 The Rationality of the Knowing Subject 224
3.2.1 A Constructivist Rationality 225
3.2.2 The Subject as Rational Critic 228
3.2.3 Rationality with Fiduciary Roots 238
3.2.4 A Comparative Summary 239
3.3 The Interplay of Rational and Extra-Rational 243 3.3.1 The Extra-Rational as Epistemic Framework 243 3.3.2 The Extra-Rational as Epistemological Background 249 3.3.3 The Extra-Rational as Epistemic Governing Principle 253
3.3.4 A Comparative Summary 258
3.4 Constraints External to the Knowing Subject 260 3.4.1 Reality as the Transformational Content of Knowledge 260
3.4.2 The Objective World of Theories 261
3.4.3 Knowledge within a Structure of Commitment 3.4.4 A Comparative Summary
3.5 Beyond Popper and Polanyi: Feyerabend and Deutscher 3.5.1 The Epistemological Anarchism of Paul Feyerabend 3.5.2 Epistemology without Theories -Max Deutscher 3.6 The State of Play: A Summary
268 270 272 272 275 279 279 3.6.1 The Shadow of Kant Lengthens and Fades
3.6.2 The Converging and Diverging of Epistemological Discussion
3.6.3 Incommensurability, Commitment.s and Epistemic Frameworks
282 285
4: A CONCLUSION AND A BEGINNING
4.1 The Basic Problems Re-examined 289
4.1.1 The Evaluation of Knowedge Claims 289
4.1.2 The Intersubjective Universality of Knowledge 293
4.1.3 The Metaphysical Problem 296
4.1.4 The Knowing Subject 301
4.1.5 Some General Trends: A Summary 302
4.2 The Neglected Question: What is Knowledge? 303 4.3 The Knowing Subject within a Modest Theory of Knowledge 310
4.4
4.3.1 Why Modest? 310
4.3.2 Knowing as the Rationally Qualified, Multi-faceted
Activity of a Multi-faceted, Integral Subject 311
4.3.3 The Two Modes of Knowing 324
4.3.4 The Multiple Foci of Knowing 345
4.3.5 The Constructivity of the Subject
4.3.6 Commitments, Weltanschauungen and Beliefs 4.3.7 The Grounds and Limits of Intersubjective A Beginning
362 385 Universality 407 413
ents, friends, fellow church members, and family, including my parents
who have not lived to see this work fulfilled. Any human work of
significance, it seems to me, is always in a certain sense a communal
product to which many have contributed in many, sometimes unseen,
ways. In this case, however, there are some who must be mentioned more specifically.
First there is the Christian community of Potchefstroomse
Universiteit vir Christelike Hoer Onderwys whose support has been so
freely given; especially members of the administration who have
con-sistently shown consideration, patience and understanding, and the
members of the Philosophy Department who have given warm encouragement and constructively critical interaction.
My promoter, Professor N.T. (Theo) van der Merwe, through much
personal trial and difficulty, has given invaluable support with
con-structive criticism and advice, constant encouragement and stimulus
and a quality of Christian friendship that is invaluable.
The personnel of the Centre international d'Epistemologie genetique
and the Fondation Archives Jean Piaget at the Universite de Geneve
gave me and my wife the warmest of welcomes and every assistance
during two months spent there in research. The secretary of the
Centre. Sylvain Dionnet must be mentioned in particular for all he did beyond the call of duty.
Then there is my wife, Joy, who has been in every best sense of the word my partner with me in this work, not only contributing her unique gifts toward its presentation, but standing with me in constant encouragemnt and support throughout.
Finally while, for reasons that I give in the appendix, I have deliberately written the main text of this work as an exercise in philosophy without employing the terminology of Christian faith, i t has been pursued throughout as an exercise of faith. I have been conscious constantly of the grace of God given in Jesus Christ with me as I have laboured over it. Whatever there is of worth in what I have written is the fruit of that grace.