Metaphilosophy is the philosophical study of philosophy itself — its goals, methods, scope, and relationship to other intellectual disciplines or human projects.
Questions tagged [metaphilosophy]
287 questions
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Can you prove anything in philosophy?
I don't understand philosophy very well, and so I am wondering whether you can "prove" anything in philosophy. It always seems you can go a layer down, and find another question, almost endlessly until you get to the question of "why/how/are we…
John M.
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Why doesn't philosophy have higher standards for its arguments?
Mathematical systems are an excellent model for organizing and conducting thought:
In the mathematics community, any argument in support of a conjecture, that deviates from "sound argument" never flies except by mistake.
Why don't we do the same…
QWERTY_dw
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Why should I read about philosophy?
My knowledge of philosophy is probably only a bit greater than an average person's. I am a trained mathematician so I have the basic knowledge of mathematical logic. I know more or less what modal logic is, but I definitely don't know much about it.…
ymar
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What is Philosophy?
What is a comprehensive definition of Philosophy? Alternatively, is it impossible to define Philosophy? This is a pseudo-meta question, but it seems like it belongs here.
Joseph Spiros
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Is Philosophy formalisable?
This is something that has irked me for quite some time, especially since I come from a mathematically oriented background.
Can the field of Philosophy be formalised in the sense that Mathematics is formalised? It doesn't necessarily have to be an…
ThisIsNotAnId
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How is Philosophy related to Science?
I asked this question about Scientism and the answers there quite brilliantly explained to me why Scientism is philosophically inconsistent.
But I just want to know: What is the relationship between Philosophy and Science?
Personally, I think the…
BlowMaMind
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Where one should draw a line between X and Philosophy of X?
It seems clear to many scholars which issues belong to philosophy-of-X and which rather belong to X. And sometimes it is indeed obvious when some given issue is for example mathematical or physical and has little to do with philosophizing. But I…
L.M. Student
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Should I trust my own thoughts when studying philosophy?
I sometimes find myself disagreeing with Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy or other seasoned philosophers. However, I am scared to trust my own thoughts lest my ideas are erroneous. I do not know whether to back myself and to have confidence in my…
tryingtobeastoic
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"→" is the symbol for material implication. Is there such a thing as "immaterial implication"?
Why do we qualify "implication" with "material"? This seems to imply that there are other kinds of implication.
RECURSIVE FARTS
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Are there clearly defined limits to philosophy?
How can you define the difference between for example Math and Philosophy and Sociology or Biology. What makes a philosophical question a philosophical question. Is this clearly defined?
DisplayName
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Is philosophy bad for you (if taken too literally)?
Hume seemed to prove that we are not justified in believing our inductions. Popper, who is very popular among scientists, thought that statements are only ever falsified. Moral error theorists say anything goes. While these sorts of positions aren't…
forlove1
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How To Distinguish Between Philosophy And Non-Philosophy?
Surely not all thinking or intellectual effort is philosophy, right?
Where to draw line between philosophy and all other thinking?
What, if any, feature is present only in philosophy?
DareWithTruth
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When did philosophers decide philosophy was not useful, and why?
Academics treat philosophy like more of a discipline one does simply because one can. If you were to ask an academic what the purpose of philosophy is, they're likely to be confused by the question.
In contrast, the ancient Greeks, the Romans, and…
James Cropcho
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Are there philosophical theories that are either confirmed or refuted by the majority of experts?
Do there exist any philosophical theories that have been either confirmed or refuted by the majority of experts? That is, confirmed or refuted such that a consensus has been established about the validity of the theory - similar to the consensus of…
Jo Wehler
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What makes something mathematics?
Dictionary.com definition of math:
(used with a singular verb) the systematic treatment of magnitude, relationships between figures and forms, and relations between quantities expressed symbolically.
(used with a singular or plural verb)…
Tdonut
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