RE: Has Philosophy over stepped it's boundaries?
September 13, 2014 at 9:52 pm
(This post was last modified: September 13, 2014 at 9:54 pm by genkaus.)
I think philosophy is determined by the questions it asks rather than the answers it provides. The idea here being that while specific fields of inquiry are defined by which answers they seek, philosophy is about the questions. I consider philosophy to have four major branches:
Metaphysics - the question of what exists? What is its nature?
Epistemology - How do I know it?
Logic - How reason works?
Ethics - What should I do? How should I act?
For example, when the answer to metaphysical question is "the reality around you exists" and the one to epistemology is "you can know it by observing evidence and experimenting", then you have a basis for the scientific method.
Similarly, when you come up with the answers to "what your goal should be" or "what society, as a whole, should do", then you have a basis for morality and jurisprudence.
I'd say that constantly making sure that there is no error in the foundation would be a desirable trait.
Metaphysics - the question of what exists? What is its nature?
Epistemology - How do I know it?
Logic - How reason works?
Ethics - What should I do? How should I act?
For example, when the answer to metaphysical question is "the reality around you exists" and the one to epistemology is "you can know it by observing evidence and experimenting", then you have a basis for the scientific method.
Similarly, when you come up with the answers to "what your goal should be" or "what society, as a whole, should do", then you have a basis for morality and jurisprudence.
(August 31, 2014 at 7:01 pm)whateverist Wrote: Agreed. Once the field has been staked out it is ready for the specialists and no longer an active domain for philosophy .. unless something comes up to make you question its foundations.
I'd say that constantly making sure that there is no error in the foundation would be a desirable trait.
