tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post1649465728249474625..comments2024-03-13T04:57:22.459-04:00Comments on Understanding Society: Philosophy of X?Dan Littlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15953897221283103880noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post-69386166141718551692009-01-02T16:07:00.000-05:002009-01-02T16:07:00.000-05:00To anonymous -- Thanks for your comment. I think ...To anonymous -- Thanks for your comment. I think you're putting your finger on my central point here in taking issue with the example of the Churchlands and their relation to cognitive science. I'm suggesting that when the philosophy of a discipline is done well, it becomes part of the discipline; it isn't possible to distinguish sharply between the kind of abstract theoretical work done by the philosopher and the comparable work done by the theoretically-minded empirical researcher. I would say that philosopher Nancy Cartwright's writings on econometric reasoning are a contribution to econometrics, not just to the "meta" philosophy of economics.Dan Littlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15953897221283103880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post-73473746810656892802009-01-02T15:29:00.000-05:002009-01-02T15:29:00.000-05:00A plumber may very well harbor thoughts similar to...A plumber may very well harbor thoughts similar to the philosophy grad student-plumber but without the vocabulary (setting aside arguments about language determining thought); as an armchair philosopher of the post office (itself a kind of plumbing system) I would suggest that one attribute of plumbing and the P.O. is their egalitarian or democratic natures: they'll deliver whatever is injected into the system irrespective of the attributes of the person delivering the ... um... message.HRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09198683269159988226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post-67190336101396860942009-01-02T12:25:00.000-05:002009-01-02T12:25:00.000-05:00Conceptual assumptions behind plumbing could also ...Conceptual assumptions behind plumbing could also be questioned, to develop new designs. A philosophy graduate student doing plumbing would go about it very differently than other people. Say, as Soros does finance.<BR/><BR/>The Churchland example doesn't fit well. Philosophy of mind is part of Cogsci, while philosophy of X is usually not part of X.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post-81967724494530934312009-01-02T11:11:00.000-05:002009-01-02T11:11:00.000-05:00Anecdotal -- thanks for the comment. I don't think...Anecdotal -- thanks for the comment. I don't think philosophy is just an add-on to biology, economics, or sociology. Rather, there is room for a synergistic interaction between both sets of researchers that leads to better understanding of the subject matter than either discipline would have achieved solo. I'd say that cognitive philosophers like the Churchlands have assisted in the growth of cognitive science in ways that were genuinely innovative. And this is possible in other areas of science as well.Dan Littlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15953897221283103880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post-56019259272799026332009-01-02T09:11:00.000-05:002009-01-02T09:11:00.000-05:00And yet, one can imagine a philosopher of plumbing...And yet, one can imagine a philosopher of plumbing policy -- where should commodes be located, should bidets cause raised eyebrows, by whisking our waste away are we reinforcing the idea that once it leaves our bodies we have no responsibility for it? <BR/><BR/>Droll questions aside, are you suggesting that philosophy is an add-on to other disciplines or that its principles should be emphasized alongside the specifics of the discipline?HRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09198683269159988226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post-62402176000664910872008-12-31T16:00:00.000-05:002008-12-31T16:00:00.000-05:00FROM ARGENTINAHAPPY NEW YEAR!FROM ARGENTINA<BR/><BR/>HAPPY NEW YEAR!Patricia Emehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01486908325009311207noreply@blogger.com