Comment on Sagal
pp. 333-336
in: Abner Shimony, Debra Nails (eds), Naturalistic epistemology, Berlin, Springer, 1987Abstract
Sagal criticizes naturalistic epistemology genetically for falling short of the mission of justifying the sciences with "no circles and no gaps," and he outlines a program, essentially along the lines of Paul Lorenzen's constructive philosophy, which is intended to carry out that mission. I shall present some reasons for believing that the constructive program is unachievable. The answer which I shall then offer to Sagal's criticisms of naturalistic epistemology is based in large part upon the inevitability of curtailing our philosophical ambitions.
