The Philosophy of Williamson is a work by the renowned philosopher Timothy Williamson that presents his perspective on the nature of philosphy. The book is divided into two parts: "On the Method of Philosophy" and "On Philosophical Intuitions."
In the first part, Williamson lays out his conception of philosophizing as "non-natural," attempting to detach philosophy from its naturalist roots. He denounces the standard narratives of contemporary philosophy and argues for the need to develop novel methodological principles. He writes:
> "Yes, philosophy must be science - but it's not science. It's like science for students who are desperate not to have their brains depleted. Science is experimentation, observation, verification. Philosophy is listening - which is not obvious that it is such."
Williamson extends the scope of philosophy beyond just aesthetics as much as possible. He challenges assumptions such as the existence of a "world out there" that is independent of human perception, that reality is automatically given as it is, or even that the truth is knowable.
He also examines how philosophy differs from other sciences:
>"A key lesson I've learned from my study of philosophy over the years has been that, although philosophy seems like a universal activity, it’s also unlike other kinds of science. For all the things we do in philosophy and for all the time we spend doing it, it nevertheless proves impossible to reach a consensus as to what questions we think philosophize, what constitutes a fact, and so on – although when engaged in a philosophical discussion, we seem much less aware of them." >A great philosophy happens when a philosopher is questioning everything yet it seems to him that there is nothing in question anymore: this is exactly the type of intellectual challenge you are going to get from reading Williamson's fine text." The second part of the book addresses theoretical issues and methodological problems that arise in making meaningful assertions about our world. Williamson explores ways to make precise philosophical positions, yet ultimately finds that most of our beliefs about the world are unprovable in light of empirical observation.
One important takeaway from the book is that philosophy cannot avoid meta-metaphysical questions about reality, and that any attempt to circumvent this problem ultimately leads to sophistry. Ultimately, the aim of philosophy should be to wrestle with the question of meaning, whether it be the underlying preoccupation of thought, the necessity of existing, the stability of values.
Also interesting is Williamson's decision to address his philosophical commitments specifically in every section of the text. In this way, the author gives readers new avenues of engagement and a sense of certainty about his claims. Critics can find fault in his individual conclusions and strategies for engaging empirical experience, but the coherence and purpose of his project emerges in the interplay between his contributions.
Электронная Книга «The Philosophy of Philosophy» написана автором Timothy Williamson в году.
Минимальный возраст читателя: 0
Язык: Английский
ISBN: 9781119616726
Описание книги от Timothy Williamson
The expanded new edition of one of the most influential and controversial books about the nature of philosophy published in the past several decades The Philosophy of Philosophy presents an original, unified concept of philosophy as a non-natural science. In this provocative work, distinguished philosopher Timothy Williamson challenges widely-held assumptions and clarifies long-standing misconceptions about the methodology and nature of philosophical inquiry. The author rejects the standard narratives of contemporary philosophy developed from naturalism, the linguistic turn, postmodern irony, and other prominent trends of the twentieth century. Viewing the method of philosophy as evolving from non-philosophical pursuits, Williamson provides readers with fresh insight into the “self-image” of philosophy and offers new ways of understanding what philosophy is and how it actually works. Now in its second edition, this landmark volume comprises the original book and the author’s subsequent work. New topics include the recent history of analytic philosophy, assessments of experimental philosophy, theories of concepts and understanding, Wittgensteinian approaches, popular philosophy, naturalism, morally-loaded examples in philosophy, philosophical applications of scientific methods, and many more. This edition features the author’s latest thoughts on a variety of issues, autobiographical reflections, and replies to critics. Proposes an alternative narrative about the nature of philosophy Argues that the common assumption of philosophical exceptionalism is false Highlights the similarities between philosophy and the other sciences in both methodology and subject matter Explores why contemporary philosophy has failed to articulate an adequate methodology Emphasizes increasing the methodological standards of reasoning in philosophy The Philosophy of Philosophy, Second Edition remains essential reading for philosophers, scholars, graduate and advanced undergraduate students in philosophy, and other readers with a sustained interest in the method and rationale of the doing of philosophy.
