The Emptiness of Naturalism Joint Winner of the Philosophy Essay Prize Competition 2023

[en] I argue that the term ‘naturalism’ is so empty of meaning that it is not suitable for serious theorizing in philosophy. In particular, I argue that the question of whether or not some theory or thesis should count as naturalistic is an empty verbal dispute with no further theoretical significance. I also discuss naturalism construed as a methodological thesis and argue that any plausible version will collapse into triviality. Lastly, I briefly discuss the idea that naturalism is not a thesis at all but rather a ‘stance’ and suggest that this too succumbs to the charge of emptiness. I conclude that we should stop talking about naturalism altogether.

Disciplines :

Philosophy & ethics

Author, co-author :

RALEIGH, Thomas ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE) > Department of Humanities (DHUM) > Philosophy

External co-authors :

Language :

English

Title :

The Emptiness of Naturalism Joint Winner of the Philosophy Essay Prize Competition 2023

Publication date :

2024

Journal title :

Philosophy

ISSN :

0031-8191

Publisher :

Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

597-623

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0031819124000172

Available on ORBilu :

since 01 April 2025

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