The Method of Philosophy

[tbieter]

"I wish to help clarify what philosophy is by discussing its method. I will suggest that the form of thinking proper to philosophy is extremely simple: philosophy is the intellectual activity that works with distinctions. Its method is the making and the questioning of distinctions. Philosophy explains by distinguishing. This does not mean that philosophy just asserts distinctions and lets it go at that; rather, it works with distinctions, it brings them out and dwells on them, dwells with them, showing how and why the things that it has distinguished must be distinguished one from the other. Furthermore, since it essentially works with distinctions, philosophy sometimes will show that a certain distinction that has been proposed or taken for granted is unreal or invalid. Philosophy sometimes obliterates distinctions. Such rejection of distinctions, however, is the negative and refutational aspect of philosophy's work; its positive success consists in achieving a distinction that clarifies a situation or a controversy, a distinction that brings out the nature of a thing. Furthermore, even when denying a distinction, philosophy proceeds by making other distinctions that allow it to deny the one in question."

"The Method of Philosophy: Making Distinctions," Robert Sokolowski, Review of Metaphysics, March 1, 1998

This essay is available on Amazon for purchase ($5.00) and download. Having a subscription at the time, I read it when it was first published. It is well known now and is cited frequently. I recommend it to all.

[HexHammer]

"I wish to help clarify what philosophy is by discussing its method. I will suggest that the form of thinking proper to philosophy is extremely simple: philosophy is the intellectual activity that works with distinctions. Its method is the making and the questioning of distinctions. Philosophy explains by distinguishing. This does not mean that philosophy just asserts distinctions and lets it go at that; rather, it works with distinctions, it brings them out and dwells on them, dwells with them, showing how and why the things that it has distinguished must be distinguished one from the other. Furthermore, since it essentially works with distinctions, philosophy sometimes will show that a certain distinction that has been proposed or taken for granted is unreal or invalid. Philosophy sometimes obliterates distinctions. Such rejection of distinctions, however, is the negative and refutational aspect of philosophy's work; its positive success consists in achieving a distinction that clarifies a situation or a controversy, a distinction that brings out the nature of a thing. Furthermore, even when denying a distinction, philosophy proceeds by making other distinctions that allow it to deny the one in question."

"The Method of Philosophy: Making Distinctions," Robert Sokolowski, Review of Metaphysics, March 1, 1998

This essay is available on Amazon for purchase ($5.00) and download. Having a subscription at the time, I read it when it was first published. It is well known now and is cited frequently. I recommend it to all.

Pure nonsense and babble.

How would this prevent people making up fairytale nonsense? How will this prevent medival supersticion all over again?

This Robert is utterly clueless!!

[uwot]

Pure nonsense and babble.

And that is The Mr. Hammer Method of Philosophy!

How would this prevent people making up fairytale nonsense?

How does The Mr. Hammer Method of Philosophy prevent people making up fairytale nonsense?

How will this prevent medival supersticion all over again?

This from the same Mr. Hammer that introduces himself as the forum Inquisitor! Either you have an acute sense of irony, combined with a broad knowledge of the lengths the Inquisitions went to to suppress any challenge to Medieval nonsense and babble, or you are [a fool]. Everything you have posted so far strongly indicates the latter.

This Robert is utterly clueless!!

Could you indicate some passages in the essay that supports this assertion? Surprise us, Mr. Hammer: formulate an argument.


[Edited by iMod]