An Introduction to Metaphilosophy

Abstract

What is philosophy? How should we do it? Why should we bother to? These are the kinds of questions addressed by metaphilosophy – the philosophical study of the nature of philosophy itself. Students of philosophy today are faced with a confusing and daunting array of philosophical methods, approaches and styles and also deep divisions such as the notorious rift between analytic and Continental philosophy. This book takes readers through a full range of approaches – analytic versus Continental, scientistic versus humanistic, 'pure' versus applied – enabling them to locate and understand these different ways of doing philosophy. Clearly and accessibly written, it will stimulate reflection on philosophical practice and will be invaluable for students of philosophy and other philosophically inclined readers.

What Is Philosophy? Prolegomena to a Sociological Metaphilosophy

“…is naïve-the partisan of a particular philosophy too easily responds: "No, but you should have done!" Insistence on the philosophicality of metaphilosophy is also to be found, spun in various ways, in more recent metaphilosophical writings (e.g., Overgaard, Gilbert, and Burwood 2013;Williamson 2007). 20 An argument made at length by Thomas-Fogiel 2011.…”

“…Not only do the activities that constitute this discipline (holding a seminar, giving a lecture, organising a library section, and the like) seem to presuppose an ability to make judgements of relevance, to distinguish the philosophical from the non-philosophical, but they are generally conducted in a routine fashion, without pronounced confusion or disagreement-indeed, philosophers are notably disinclined to question them. Does this not seem to imply that such judgements are generally made in a basically coherent fashion, and 9 For surveys see Overgaard, Gilbert, and Burwood 2013;Joll 2010. The title of Körner's 1969 book is emblematic of this characteristic subjectivism: What Is Philosophy?…”

Global Mental Health and Neuroethics

“…In addition, there may well be a need for value-based orientations to supplement EBM [21]. Within metaphilosophy, there are strong arguments that philosophy should not simply be reduced to science [22]. Similarly, in bioethics, there may well remain complex problems that are best apprehended by conceptual rather than empirical analysis.…”

Well‐Being Blindness

“…Famous topics are easy to point to: the nature of knowledge, the existence of god, the ideal state, to name just three. It is commonplace to claim that study of such famous philosophical topics exhibits a familiar pattern: it is marked by the continuing development of arguments for and against various positions, and a final philosophical consensus is rarely or never reached (see, e.g., Overgaard, Gilbert, and Burwood , chap. 2; Kekes , 1–6).…”