Abstract
Contrary to a philosophical tradition which maintains that sense perception is the starting point of knowledge, this chapter maintains that problems are the starting points of knowledge. This raises the questions: What are problems? How are problems posed? How are problems solved? The chapter gives an answer to these questions, arguing that problems are questions to be investigated in order to solve them; problems are posed by analysing the terms of the problem, namely the conditions that must be met to solve it; problems are solved discovering their solutions by the analytic method, therefore, knowledge is problem solving by the analytic method. The chapter also argues that the view that knowledge is problem solving by the analytic method permits to give an answer to the question: Is there any a priori knowledge?
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Cellucci, Carlo. 2013a. Rethinking logic: Logic in relation to mathematics, evolution, and method. Dordrecht: Springer.
Hadamard, Jacques. 1954. The psychology of invention in the mathematical field. Mineola: Dover.
Kant, Immanuel. 1998. Critique of pure reason. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Laudan, Larry. 1977. Progress and its problems. Berkeley: University of California Press.
———. 1981. Science and hypothesis: Historical essays on scientific methodology. Dordrecht: Springer.
Lorenz, Konrad. 1977. Behind the mirror. London: Methuen.
———. 2009. Kant’s doctrine of the a priori in the light of contemporary biology. In Philosophy after Darwin: Classic and contemporary readings, ed. Michael Ruse, 231–247. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Poincaré, Henri. 2013. The foundations of science: Science and hypothesis – The value of science – Science and method. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Pólya, George. 1971. How to solve it: A new aspect of mathematical method. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Popper, Karl Raimund. 1974. Conjectures and refutations: The growth of scientific knowledge. London: Routledge.
———. 1999. All life is problem solving. London: Routledge.
———. 2002. Unended quest: An intellectual autobiography. London: Routledge.
Russell, Bertrand. 1949. Answer to questionnaire. In Eliot Dole Hutchinson, How to think creatively, 110–112. New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Cellucci, C. (2017). Knowledge as Problem Solving. In: Rethinking Knowledge. European Studies in Philosophy of Science, vol 4. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53237-0_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53237-0_14
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-53236-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-53237-0
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyPhilosophy and Religion (R0)