University of Isfahan Metaphysics 2476-3276 12 29 2020 03 20 Analysis and Critique of the Ability Hypothesis Analysis and Critique of the Ability Hypothesis 183 196 25459 10.22108/mph.2021.123558.1227 FA Mohsen Bohlooli Faskhoodi Assistant Professor of Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran. 0000-0002-7335-4059 Journal Article 2020 08 03 Physicalism claims that the world is physical. The Knowledge argument does not accept physicalism because it claims that when experiencing the phenomena of the world, the knowledge obtained for a person is not physical. The ability hypothesis holds that what is gained through experience is not new physical knowledge but leads to the emergence of three abilities to recognize, imagine, and remember in the person and therefore the Knowledge argument is ineffective. The research question is whether the ability hypothesis as a defender of physicalism is considered a real solution to the knowledge argument? The research aims to support the ability hypothesis by adopting a new approach while believing that the knowledge argument is correct. In this research, it will be shown that in the experience stage, a kind of phenomenal knowledge is obtained for the person which is based on the knowledge of his previous proposition. Therefore, knowledge is not limited to the physical sciences, and in this sense, the ability hypothesis is incorrect. The ability hypothesis, despite being correct, has not been able to disprove the knowledge argument, and therefore physicalism is incorrect. Physicalism claims that the world is physical. The Knowledge argument does not accept physicalism because it claims that when experiencing the phenomena of the world, the knowledge obtained for a person is not physical. The ability hypothesis holds that what is gained through experience is not new physical knowledge but leads to the emergence of three abilities to recognize, imagine, and remember in the person and therefore the Knowledge argument is ineffective. The research question is whether the ability hypothesis as a defender of physicalism is considered a real solution to the knowledge argument? The research aims to support the ability hypothesis by adopting a new approach while believing that the knowledge argument is correct. In this research, it will be shown that in the experience stage, a kind of phenomenal knowledge is obtained for the person which is based on the knowledge of his previous proposition. Therefore, knowledge is not limited to the physical sciences, and in this sense, the ability hypothesis is incorrect. The ability hypothesis, despite being correct, has not been able to disprove the knowledge argument, and therefore physicalism is incorrect. https://mph.ui.ac.ir/article_25459_8828511b6ed29dcce279fdc684f0a6b6.pdf