Tye on Acquaintance and the Problems of Consciousness (original) (raw)

The paper critically examines Michael Tye's notion of knowledge by acquaintance in relation to consciousness and challenges its necessity in addressing the Knowledge Argument within physicalism. While Tye asserts that acquaintance involves knowing something simply by being conscious of it, the author argues that this concept diverges from the ordinary understanding of knowing, which entails knowledge of truths and admits of degrees. Ultimately, the critique suggests that Tye's ideas can be reinterpreted without reliance on the contentious idea of acquaintance, focusing instead on the nuances of the relationship between seeing and knowing.