What's the point of knowing how?. (30th January 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Habgood‐Coote, Joshua
• Is Part Of: European journal of philosophy. Volume 27:Number 3(2019)
• Page Start: 693
• Page End: 708
• Publication Date: 2019-01-30
• Subjects: Philosophy -- Periodicals; Philosophy, European -- Periodicals; Philosophy, Modern -- 20th century -- Periodicals; 190
• DOI: 10.1111/ejop.12431
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0966-8373

Abstract

Abstract: Why is it useful to talk and think about knowledge‐how? Using Edward Craig's discussion of the function of the concepts of knowledge as a jumping off point, this paper argues that considering this question can offer us new angles on the debate about knowledge‐how. We consider two candidate functions for the concept of knowledge‐how: pooling capacities and mutual reliance . Craig makes the case for pooling capacities, which connects knowledge‐how to our need to pool practical capacities. I argue that the evidence is much more equivocal and in fact supports both functions. I propose that the concept of knowledge‐how plays both functions, meaning that it is inconsistent and that the debate about knowledge‐how is at least partly a metalinguistic negotiation. In closing, I suggest a way to revise the philosophical concept of knowledge how.