So I shall leave that task to someone else, I do, however, have two lines of complaint about Hartshorne's view of
apriori truths.
For reasons having to do with his theory
of apriori metaphysics, discussed below, he does not take up this question.
Hartshorne is a great believer
in apriori knowledge.
2 The importance of God for Hartshorne stems from his claim we have genuine univocal
apriori knowledge of individuals only in the case of God; all other individuals are known as such by analogy.
The Hartshornean candidates
for apriori truths rest, it seems to me, on an experiential sense too much refined by his philosophy.
First, in science (whatever disciplines), you can analysis the data via using axiomatic - driven models (ie, physical processes as in physics / climate models are fully / partially known in advance
as apriori) where expertise in this area are definitely needed.
To expand a little on myths, we also know that they are unlikely to describe
facts apriori.
In this respect Hartshorne's book has the historical interest of Weiss's Philosophy in Process volumes; but unlike Weiss's historical reflections, Hartshorne's are always in the context of his familiar abstract argumentation about what must be
true apriori.4
Hartshorne calls metaphysical
statements apriori, and there may be some problems about that (discussed in VII below); but it is clear that metaphysical statements are not subject to test in any ordinary experimental way.
In fact, Hartshorne's preoccupation
with apriori philosophy may have led him to neglect a systematic consideration of some of the more experiential elements of life.
But it makes good logical sense to say that as elements of human knowledge, the so -
called apriori truths are mere hypotheses about the universal conditions of existence.
That is, he
discusses apriori truths from the standpoint of their having been discovered, where the only problem is to make them clear.
No point trying to win them over, to give Corbyn a chance,
for apriori they have decided the futility of the venture, which is daft because it is the same people who decided back in May that Corbyn's bid for the leadership was futile, and look how wrong they were there.
Apriori truths are those that must be illustrated by any possible world.
After reading the posts on your blog, I believe that you would agree that there is a natural tendency for us to see what
we apriori expect to find.
Never being satisfied with any answer but the one that fits her «
apriori», LMAO!
by starting from just concepts and
apriori conclusions, without validating that their theories match their
Hartshorne would respond that those other problems are contingent matters and not directly philosophical; philosophy is
apriori; and cosmology is better left to the scientists.
Of course, the positive
apriori metaphysical affirmation might be completely meaningless; one needs a metaphysical system to show that the apriori claim is at least conceivable.
But surely it makes a difference to understand what
the apriori conditions of existence are!
It may be impossible to conceive of an alternative to the claim that «whatever is a universal condition for any possible world is
an apriori truth» But it surely is possible to conceive of alternatives to any candidate for such a truth.
But now the truth ascertained by the process of probating the hypothesis certainly would not be
apriori, even if the truths are about universal and necessary conditions.
Are the truths
themselves apriori if they are hypotheses?
But the conditions are not
apriori; «apriori» refers to a modality of truth claims about them.
But with such an interpretive scheme, if
an apriori truth is conceivable, it is inconceivable that the world exists without it.
For Hartshorne, the abstract nature of God consists in
the apriori metaphysical conditions that would have to be exhibited in any possible world.
If I'm out and about in clothes, I wear Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer, in Bisque, on my face,
the Apriori mineral foundation at hairline and cheekbones for extra protection, and Neutrogena SPF60 + on the backs of my hands.
(I know the rights issues are different, but thats
an apriori reason, not a moral or ethical or SENSIBLE reason)