Putting Metaphysics First Essays on Metaphysics and Epistemology 1st Edition by Michael Devitt ISBN 0199280800 9780199280803

Putting Metaphysics First Essays on Metaphysics and Epistemology 1st Edition by Michael Devitt – Ebook PDF Instant Download/Delivery: 0199280800 ,9780199280803
Full download Putting Metaphysics First Essays on Metaphysics and Epistemology 1st Edition after payment

Product details:

ISBN 10: 0199280800
ISBN 13: 9780199280803
Author: Michael Devitt

The metaphysical part of this book is largely concerned with realism issues. Michael Devitt starts with realism about universals, dismissing Plato’s notorious ‘one over many’ problem. Several chapters argue for a fairly uncompromising realist view of the external physical world of commonsense and science. Both the nonfactualism of moral noncognitivism and positivistic instrumentalism, and deflationism about truth, are found to rest on an antirealism that is hard to characterize. A case is presented for moral realism. Various biological realisms are considered. Finally, an argument is presented for an unfashionable biological essentialism.

The second part of the book is epistemological. Devitt argues against the a priori and for a Quinean naturalism. The intuitions that so dominate ‘armchair philosophy’ are emipirical not a priori.

Throughout the book there is an emphasis on distinguishing metaphysical issues about what there is and what it’s like from semantic issues about meaning, truth, and reference. Another central theme, captured in the title, is that we should ‘put metaphysics first’. We should approach epistemology and semantics from a metaphysical perspective rather than vice versa. The epistemological turn in modern philosophy, and the linguistic turn in contemporary modern philosophy, were something of disasters.

Putting Metaphysics First Essays on Metaphysics and Epistemology 1st Edition Table of contents:

• Chapter 1: The Metaphysics of Meaning

  • The Role of Metaphysics in Meaning and Reference
  • Investigating the Ontology of Language
  • Theoretical Commitments in Understanding Meaning

• Chapter 2: Realism and Anti-Realism

  • Realism’s Commitment to the Existence of an Objective World
  • Anti-Realism: Denying Objective Reality
  • The Debate: How Metaphysical Realism Shapes Our Epistemological Views

• Chapter 3: The Problem of Universals

  • What Are Universals and How Do They Exist?
  • The Metaphysical and Epistemological Challenges Posed by Universals
  • Philosophical Responses to the Problem of Universals

• Chapter 4: Causality and Causal Explanation

  • The Metaphysical Nature of Causation
  • How Causality Relates to Epistemic Understanding
  • Theories of Causal Explanation: Challenges and Insights

• Chapter 5: The Metaphysics of Time and Space

  • Time and Space: Theories of Their Existence and Nature
  • How Metaphysical Conceptions of Time Inform Epistemological Theories
  • The Influence of Physics on Metaphysical Conceptions of Time and Space

• Chapter 6: Epistemology and the Problem of Skepticism

  • Skepticism and Its Challenges to Knowledge Claims
  • Metaphysical Assumptions in the Debate About Knowledge
  • Can Metaphysical Realism Address Skepticism?

• Chapter 7: The Role of Experience in Epistemology

  • The Nature of Experience: Phenomenology and Empiricism
  • Metaphysical Underpinnings of Epistemic Experience
  • The Relationship Between Perception and Knowledge

• Chapter 8: Scientific Realism and Metaphysical Foundations

  • Scientific Realism: A Metaphysical Approach to Scientific Knowledge
  • Epistemological Implications of Scientific Realism
  • The Debate Over the Truth of Scientific Theories and Their Correspondence to Reality

• Chapter 9: The Metaphysics of Properties

  • Investigating the Ontology of Properties
  • Are Properties Mind-Independent or Mind-Dependent?
  • How Our Conception of Properties Affects Our Epistemological Framework

• Chapter 10: Ontological Commitment and Epistemic Justification

  • The Debate Over Ontological Commitment in Metaphysics
  • Epistemological Implications of Accepting Ontological Commitments
  • How Our Ontological Assumptions Guide Our Knowledge Claims

• Chapter 11: The Interaction of Metaphysics and Epistemology in Philosophical Methodology

  • The Role of Metaphysical Commitments in Philosophical Methodology
  • How Epistemology Intersects with Metaphysical Theories
  • Case Studies: Applying Metaphysical Principles to Epistemological Problems

People also search for Putting Metaphysics First Essays on Metaphysics and Epistemology 1st Edition:

    
metaphysics essay topics
    
purpose of metaphysics
    
metaphysics in a sentence
    
beginner metaphysics
    
basics of metaphysics

Tags:

Michael Devitt,Metaphysics,First Essays,Metaphysics,Epistemology