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Single Idea 5432
[filed under theme 1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 2. Possibility of Metaphysics
]
Full Idea
It would seem that knowledge concerning the universe as a whole is not to be obtained by metaphysics.
Gist of Idea
Metaphysics cannot give knowledge of the universe as a whole
Source
Bertrand Russell (Problems of Philosophy [1912], Ch.14)
Book Ref
Russell,Bertrand: 'The Problems of Philosophy' [OUP 1995], p.82
A Reaction
Although Russell is strongly attracted to rationalism and platonism, this remark puts him firmly in the camp of Hume, and makes him godfather to the logical positivists. I regard metaphysics as extremely speculative attempts at explanation.
The
18 ideas
with the same theme
[possibility of abstract wisdom through pure thought]:
7918
|
Kant turned metaphysics into epistemology, ignoring Aristotle's 'being qua being'
[Kant, by Macdonald,C]
|
21438
|
Metaphysics might do better to match objects to our cognition (and not start with the objects)
[Kant]
|
16611
|
You just can't stop metaphysical speculation, in any mature mind
[Kant]
|
5586
|
The voyage of reason may go only as far as the coastline of experience reaches
[Kant]
|
8107
|
The love of certainty holds us back in metaphysics
[Joubert]
|
15612
|
Older metaphysics naively assumed that thought grasped things in themselves
[Hegel]
|
7080
|
Metaphysics divided the old unified Greek world into two
[Nietzsche, by Critchley]
|
20728
|
Metaphysics is hopeless with its present epistemology; common-sense realism is needed
[Colvin]
|
5432
|
Metaphysics cannot give knowledge of the universe as a whole
[Russell]
|
13939
|
No possible evidence could decide the reality of numbers, so it is a pseudo-question
[Carnap]
|
16395
|
Kripke separated semantics from metaphysics, rather than linking them, making the latter independent
[Kripke, by Stalnaker]
|
12771
|
Is it likely that a successful, coherent, explanatory ontological hypothesis is true?
[Fraassen]
|
12027
|
There must be a plausible epistemological theory alongside any metaphysical theory
[Forbes,G]
|
15053
|
If metaphysics can't be settled, it hardly matters whether it makes sense
[Fine,K]
|
18506
|
Questions of explanation should not be confused with metaphyics
[Heil]
|
14721
|
Metaphysical enquiry can survive if its conclusions are tentative
[Sider]
|
15010
|
Your metaphysics is 'cheating' if your ontology won't support the beliefs you accept
[Sider]
|
14912
|
There is no test for metaphysics, except devising alternative theories
[Ladyman/Ross]
|