Single Idea 9217

[catalogued under 1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 6. Metaphysics as Conceptual]

Full Idea

The empiricist revival of metaphysics came with Quine, who focused on ontological commitments associated with accepting a body of discourse, and Strawson, asking about the presuppositions of our conceptual practices.

Gist of Idea

Modern empirical metaphysics focuses on ontological commitments of discourse, or on presuppositions

Source

M Loux / D Zimmerman (Intro to Oxford Hndbk of Metaphysics [2003])

Book Reference

'The Oxford Handbook of Metaphysics', ed/tr. Loux,M /Zimmerman,D [OUP 2005], p.2


A Reaction

I find myself preferring the British approach. I can discourse about things without ontological commitment, and utter truths about non-existent things. I really yearn, though, for the third way - actually reasoning towards knowing what's out there.