Publication details
Filozofie, apriorní poznání a naturalismus
| Title in English | Philosophy, a priori knowledge, and naturalism |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Naturalistický obraz sveta : výzvy a limity |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Keywords | philosophy; a priori; naturalism; science; knowledge; non-cognitivism |
| Description | In this paper, I defend philosophy against the attacks that have, in recent decades, been launched against it by some theoretical physicists, who have claimed that philosophy is a vacuous and useless discipline. In the first part, I analyze the objections that have been raised against philosophy. In the second, I show that the criticism is based on a deep misunderstanding of what philosophy is, what its methods of research are, and what the value of its findings is. I conclude with a general diagnosis of the role of philosophy. I maintain that philosophy can serve two functions – a cognitivist function of providing a priori conceptual knowledge, and a non-cognitivist function of suggesting norms, both linguistic and social, and inviting the public to accept them. Both functions are, I claim, indispensable and consistent with ontological naturalism. |
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