Chikurel, Idit

Junior Fellow: October 2020–July 2021 and March–June 2022

Research Project: Experience, Intuition and Understanding: Sources of Knowledge and Scepticism in Maimon’s Commentary on Bacon’s Novum Organum

This project explores how various sources of knowledge produce new propositions in Salomon Maimon’s philosophy and how his sceptical stance shapes his thought about the formulation of new knowledge. More particularly, it examines Maimon’s commentary on Bacon’s Novum Organum and his intellectual shift from knowledge based on experience to the invention of a priori knowledge based on intuition and understanding. This shift is motivated by his scepticism. The project will examine the logical foundations of knowledge grounded on empirical inventions and discoveries and will present the advantages of turning to empirical knowledge over speculative philosophy. Furthermore, it will show how induction can be used to decrease the level of doubt and increase the level of certainty of empirical knowledge.

Idit Chikurel received her PhD from the School of Philosophy, Linguistics and Science Studies and the Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas at Tel-Aviv University in 2019.