Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Thinking Pluralism

I’m thinking about three ideas for the introduction to the PDF of the main argument in my pluralism series:

  1. Philosophy cannot provide the foundations for the naturalist study of anything. The specialized disciplines must necessarily be responsible for their own foundations.
  2. The naturalist study of human kind necessarily includes an account of why humans seek to live an ethical life, but it cannot itself provide an ethics. The metaphysician must, of course, take note of this in considering the ways of Being. I discuss this in my argument under the heading of Ethical Criticism and Unity of Being
  3. Philosophy can provide the foundations for ethical discussions. Though it should feel free to call on any of the specialized human sciences for support and insight, it cannot base its arguments on them for the well-known reason that one cannot derive an OUGHT from a IS.

I suspect, maybe even fear? that the relationships between these three are tricky. But that’s OK.

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