Deductions: Private Knowledge from Intentional Consciousness

Abstract

“Intentional consciousness” denotes the sceptical prototype thesis from which our knowledge of things given in, or implied by, our experience is to be deduced. Before undertaking the investigations leading to these deductions, I shall emphasize again that the thesis has been designed to satisfy the criterion of experientiality, and the deductions must now also satisfy those of consistency and economy. The conclusions of these investigations cannot signify other than private knowledge, and by ‘private’ I do not mean knowledge that is incommunicable, but one that does not admit evidence (in the light of the adopted criterion) of any mind or object existing independently of its experience, to whom or which information could be communicated.