What's the use of philosophy? Philip Kitcher here grapples with an
essential philosophical question: what the point of philosophy is, and
what it should and can be.
Kitcher's portrait of the discipline is not a familiar defense of the
importance of philosophy or the humanities writ large. Rather, he is
deeply critical of philosophy as it is practiced today, a practice
focused on narrow technical questions that are far removed from the
concerns of human life. He provides a penetrating diagnosis of why
exactly contemporary philosophy has come to suffer this crisis,
showing how it suffers from various syndromes that continue to push it
further into irrelevance. Then, taking up ideas from William James and
John Dewey, Kitcher provides a positive roadmap for the future of
philosophy: first, as a discipline that can provide clarity to other
kinds of human inquiry, such as religion or science; and second,
bringing order to people's notions of the world, dispelling confusion
in favor of clarity, and helping us think through our biggest human
questions and dilemmas. Kitcher concludes with a letter to young
philosophers who wonder how they can align their aspirations with the
hyper-professionalism expected of them.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780197657263
Publisert
2022
Utgiver
Vendor
Oxford University Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter