Descartes and the Greeks (Part 3)
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin concludes his discussion of the contrasting origins of philosophy, focusing here on Aristotle. Professor Toulmin notes that Aristotle had grown up in a medical family and was more impressed by the pragmatic underpinnings ...
Does the Mind Shape the World?: Does the Mind Shape the World?
Immanuel Kant, born in 1724 sought to resolve a controversy that had been brewing for over a century. Rationalists argued that knowledge is based on reasoning inside our minds. Empirists disagreed saying that all knowledge must come from the senses....
Does Science Give Us Truth?: Pragmatism Theory of Truth, The
A third theory of truth known as pragmatism considers success to be the main marker of truth. In contrast with intellectualists who view truth as a stagnant property, pragmatists test the performance of a belief by seeing if it can sustain an indust...
Time and Cosmology
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin talks about the efforts of Immanuel Kant and others to come to grips with questions about time and whether it's possible to produce an overall theoretical description of the whole process by which the material universe to...
Does Science Give Us Truth?: Single Truth?, A
What is truth? Both philosophy and science seek to find the answer to that question, and although each theory proposed contributes a vital perspective, none can cover each and every situation. It is important not to get hung up on Truth with a capit...
What Is Philosophy?
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin talks about the challenge of defining philosophy. During the course of his remarks, Professor Toulmin mentions Ludwig Wittgenstein, with whom he studied in Cambridge. Wittgenstein used to say that the best way to understa...
Are Interpretations True?: Hermeneutics
The branch of philosophy that deals with interpretation is called hermeneutics, a field that today is applied to many parts of life. Not too long ago its primary focus was on language and methods that assist us in getting at the meaning of texts. In...
Fatalism (Part One)
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin traces the evolution of the concept of fatalism. In the modern world, Professor Toulmin explains, the term is often used to express the feeling that people don't have control over what they do or what happens to them. In ...
Skepticism
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin talks about the difference between the modern use of the term "skepticism" and the way the word was used by the Greeks, as well as by Ludwig Wittgenstein. Nowadays, Professor Toulmin explains, the word is used to mean ref...
Fatalism (Part Two)
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin concludes his discussion of fatalism, noting that for some it's a convenient rationalization to explain why they haven't been able to carry out their resolutions.