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Future Paths of Phenomenology

1st OPHEN Summer Meeting

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209267

Incommensurability and the priority of metaphysics

Michael Devitt

pp. 143-157

Abstract

I aim to reject a semantic doctrine, "Incommensurability", commonly attributed to Kuhn and Feyerabend. They also subscribe to the neo-Kantian metaphysical doctrine of "Constructivism" which stands opposed to "Realism". I argue that the Incommensurability issue comes down to the Realism issue. On the Realism issue I reject four arguments for Constructivism. Two Kantian arguments make the mistakes of using an a priori methodology and of not "putting metaphysics first". Two arguments by Hoyningen-Huene and his co-authors support relativism but do nothing to support the Kantian core of Constructivism. I conclude by arguing against "meta-incommensurability".

Publication details

Published in:

Sankey Howard (2001) Incommensurability and related matters. Dordrecht, Springer.

Pages: 143-157

DOI: 10.1007/978-94-015-9680-0_5

Full citation:

Devitt Michael (2001) „Incommensurability and the priority of metaphysics“, In: H. Sankey (ed.), Incommensurability and related matters, Dordrecht, Springer, 143–157.