17897
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Analytic explanation is wholes in terms of parts; synthetic is parts in terms of wholes or contexts [Belnap]
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Full Idea:
Throughout the whole texture of philosophy we distinguish two modes of explanation: the analytic mode, which tends to explain wholes in terms of parts, and the synthetic mode, which explains parts in terms of the wholes or contexts in which they occur.
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From:
Nuel D. Belnap (Tonk, Plonk and Plink [1962], p.132)
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A reaction:
The analytic would be bottom-up, and the synthetic would be top-down. I'm inclined to combine them, and say explanation begins with a model, which can then be sliced in either direction, though the bottom looks more interesting.
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22601
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Laissez-faire individualism doesn't work, especially in troublesome times [Keynes]
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Full Idea:
It is obvious that an individualist society left to itself does not work well or even tolerably. The more troublesome the times, the worse does a laissez-faire system work.
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From:
Maynard Keynes (The General Theory of Employment [1936]), quoted by Ian Dunt - How to be a Liberal 7
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A reaction:
I thought I was a Communitarian, but I may be a Keynesian Liberal, committed to a safety net welfare system. I haven't quite decided yet. Political philosophy is hopeless, if the ideas actually have to be implemented. What is the criterion of 'work'?
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