This is a very fine essay on naturalistic epistemology. Kornblith's work will be a distinctive contribution at the interface of philosophy and cognitive science. -- Alvin I. Goldman, University of Arizona Hilary Kornblith presents an account of inductive inference that addresses both its metaphysical and epistemological aspects. He argues that inductive knowledge is possible by virtue of the fit between our innate psychological capacities and the causal structure of the world. Kornblith begins by developing an account of natural kinds that has its origins in John Locke's work on real and nominal essences. He then examines two features of human psychology that explain how knowledge of natural kinds is attained.
First, our concepts are structured innately in a way that presupposes the existence of natural kinds. Second, our native inferential tendencies tend to provide us with accurate beliefs about the world when applied to environments that are populated by natural kinds.