Dustin Locke (University of Michigan)
"A Defense of Ramseyan Humility"
In his unpublished paper “Ramseyan Humility,” David Lewis argues that “we are irremediably ignorant about the identities of the fundamental properties that figure in the actual realization of the true final theory”. Three authors (Rae Langton, Jonathan Schaffer, Ann Whittle) have independently argued that even if we accept the metaphysical and linguistic assumptions of Lewis’ argument, we need not accept his epistemic conclusion. This paper defends Lewis against these authors by, first and foremost, offering a much-needed clarification of Lewis’ conclusion and his argument for it.