propositionally distinguishing Tightness from wrongness, and therefore
In particular, if epistemic akrasia is not
propositionally rational then it's not doxastically rational either, since the latter requires the former.
Since the mode of participation in our practices--the way in which we use, leverage, and inflect the powerful practices we inhabit--is underdetermined, a particular way of life cannot be investigated merely
propositionally from afar; it has to be investigated locally and up close.
If we do not notice it, how do we know the contents are really there as an image, i.e., something to be directly perceived rather than decoded
propositionally?
(4) I am interpreting Kant to mean that while the content of moral faith may be expressed
propositionally (for example, "God commands nothing immoral"), the manner in which one holds to this is not itself a proposition which can be communicated, but is instead a disposition borne out by my acts (which may be misinterpreted or misunderstood by other people, but not by my conscience).
In this sense, the understanding cannot be understood only as a process and cognitive state, expressed
propositionally. Therefore, Zagzebski (2001: 242) argues that "understanding is the state of comprehension of non-propositional structures of reality" (we have an understanding of things like an automobile engine, a musical piece, a work of art, the character of a human person, the map of a city, a causal, ideological structure, or reality itself).
Wilbers and Duit (2001) debates that both Gentner and Holyoaks consider
propositionally based knowledge as a starting point for analogy use.
(78) A discursive practice is every mutual interpretation of each other's assertions: "At the core of the discursive practice is the game of giving and asking for reasons." (79) At least in our Western tradition, this reasoning game plays a principal role in the multiplicity of language games: "The fundamental sort of move in the game of giving and asking for reasons is making a claim--producing a performance that is
propositionally contentful, in that it can be the offering of a reason, and reasons can be demanded for it." (80) Within the practice of reasoning, the discursive players have commitments and entitlements.
Thinking
propositionally is one way we can practice non-allness: We do this by using terms (at least in our thinking--not so easy in speaking) such as "to me, let's see, as far as I know, so far, at this time, based on, in my opinion, a/an, as I presently understand this, in terms of, could be, perhaps, probably, possibly, may-be, as if, many, some, sometimes, with respect to, to an extent, usually, to some degree, among other factors, relatively speaking, frame of reference, point of viewing, and so on, etc.," etc.
Explaining that theology based on this kind of experience is not propositional, he writes "It is 'description' more than 'definition' for it is, above all, a search for words and concepts adequate to and expressive of the living experience of the Church for reality and not 'propositions.'" (6) In other words, liturgical experience speaks its own language; it communicates evocatively rather than
propositionally. Likewise, a theology whose source is liturgical performance must find a language with which to communicate experience rather than propositions.
There has been a growing recognition that it is a mistake to take Christian doctrine entirely
propositionally (i.e., as a set of truth claims).
(42) He identifies five categories of ostensibly nonarbitrary criteria for evaluating truth claims expressed both
propositionally and dynamically by religious believers.
On her view, facts are 'truths which are expressed
propositionally, and which can be premises in reasoning, both theoretical and practical' (152).
(21) As Sokolowski writes, "the possibility of a propositional turn is always on the margin of any report or registration; conversely, whenever we take what is said
propositionally, the possibility of returning to registration and report is marginally there" (PA 110).
This starting point can yield different theological results than one done
propositionally. Another potentially promising theory to expand upon comes from James Carey (1988), who proposed a ritualistic view of communication; we have seen this applied by Fernback (2002).
