Subject-specific intellectualism: re-examining know how and ability

Intellectualists claim that knowing how to do something is a matter of knowing, for some w, that w is a way to do that thing. However, standard accounts fail to account for the way that knowing how sometimes seems to require ability (although at other times does not). I argue that the way to make sense of this situation is via a 'subject-specific' intellectualism according to which knowing how to do something is a matter of knowing that w is a way for some relevant person to do that thing, but who the relevant person is can change from context to context. If it is the utterer themselves, then knowing how will require ability, but otherwise it will not.

Automated summary

Intellectualists argue that knowing how to do something involves understanding that a particular person believes "w" is a way to accomplish that task. Subject-specific intellectualism posits that the key factor is knowing who the specific individual is in a given context. In some cases, ability may be required, while in others it is not necessary.