
The Fixation of Belief - tjfwalker
http://www.peirce.org/writings/p107.html
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foldr
Great to see something by Peirce linked on here.

I do think some of the intellectual history in this piece is wildly off the
mark. The schoolmen (at least those of an Aristotelean bent) certainly thought
that you could know things via experience as well as via authority. For
example, you could know that there was a desk in front of you because you
could see it. The development of science during the enlightenment was partly
enabled by a much greater _skepticism_ about experience than was
characteristic of the schoolmen. You can "see", for example, that the desk is
a solid object with no holes in it, but you have to develop the habit of
doubting such experiences to make progress beyond a certain point in physics
and chemistry.

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tjfwalker
Glad it's well received. I was unsure 'cause I've not notice much else here,
on HN, of the like.

I got caught up on the same bit when I read it.

Given your remark about the accuracy of some of the info, what reads would you
recommend as being more accurate?

Any thoughts on other, related thinkers —past _and_ present— worth checking
out for those who find this compelling?

