[lit-ideas] Re: Aid Sought: Was ist metaphysic?
- From: "Walter C. Okshevsky" <wokshevs@xxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, Donal McEvoy <donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:31:56 -0230
Donal,
I take it you understand what is meant by the claim that we live in a
post-metaphysical world, as argued for by such Kantian Constructivists as John
Rawls, Christine Korsgaard, Juergen Habermas and Thomas Scanlon, amongst
others. As I see it, it is the claim that "public speech/reason" (Rawls) or
"discourse" / "argumentation (Habermas) ought not to include metaphysical
commitments and arguments (either of a religious or secular sort) in support of
policies and actions since these are not universalizable. The father of such a
claim I believe is Kant: his prioritization of moral law over conceptions of
the good/authentic life, and the differentiation of "public reason" from
"private reason." Why is this "ludicrous?" JL, looks like we may need some
etymology on this term.
Living quite comfortably in a post-metaphysical world,
Walter O
Quoting Donal McEvoy <donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx>:
> Perhaps it best to start by explaining what metaphysics is not. Here a useful
> answer is that science is not metaphysics, where by science we mean those
> claims that are 'testable by observation' in some way.
>
> This means that metaphysics may be taken broadly as that field that concerns
> claims that are not 'testable by observation' in the way scientific claims
> are.
>
> After that there are various ways of dividing up that broad field and various
> questions that arises as to the status and methods of any investigation into
> claims that are not 'testable by observation'.
>
>
> Donal
> Who finds the idea that "we live in a post-metaphysical world" as ludicrous
> as the claim we have reached "The End of History"
> London
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Walter C. Okshevsky <wokshevs@xxxxxx>
> To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Sent: Tuesday, 26 February 2013, 7:51
> Subject: [lit-ideas] Aid Sought: Was ist metaphysic?
>
> Our Philosophy department's colloquium series of lectures this term is themed
> "What is metaphysics?" (In honour of the late James Bradley who lived for the
> promotion of speculative metaphysics and the trashing of Okshevsky's
> Habermasian views.) I have been asked to give a talk and I couldn't resist
> the
> title "Why we live in a post-metaphysical world." Alas, now I have to make
> good
> on my boldness and insolence. Does anyone out there know what "metaphysics"
> is
> about and why the ilk of Rawls and Habermas wish to ignore it?
>
> Stunned in Newfoundland,
>
> Walter O
>
>
>
>
>
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