Single Idea 18559

[catalogued under 1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 5. Aims of Philosophy / a. Philosophy as worldly]

Full Idea

Save, maybe, for purely formal (e.g. logical) theories, philosophical claims whose correctness does not depend, however indirectly, on matters of fact are empty: they are neither true nor false.

Gist of Idea

Philosophy is empty if it does not in some way depend on matters of fact

Source

Edouard Machery (Doing Without Concepts [2009], Intro)

Book Reference

Machery,Edouard: 'Doing Without Concepts' [OUP 2009], p.6


A Reaction

I subscribe to this view. I'd even say that logic is empty if it is not answerable to the facts. The facts are nature, so this is a naturalistic manifesto.

Related Idea

Idea 21360 Unobservant thinkers tend to dogmatise using insufficient facts [Aristotle]