Naturalism in Question

Today the majority of philosophers in the English-speaking world adhere to the "naturalist" credos that philosophy is continuous with science, and that the natural sciences provide a complete account of all that exists - whether human or non-human. The new faith says science, not man, is the measure of all things. However, there is a growing scepticism about the adequacy of this complacent orthodoxy. This volume presents a group of leading thinkers who criticise scientific naturalism not in the name of some form of supernaturalism, but in order to defend a more inclusive or liberal naturalism. The many prominent Anglo-American philosophers appearing in this book - Akeel Bilgrami, Stanley Cavell, Donald Davidson, John Dupre, Jennifer Hornsby, Erin Kelly, John McDowell, Huw Price, Hilary Putnam, Carol Rovane, Barry Stroud, and Stephen White - do not march in lockstep, yet their contributions demonstrate mutual affinities and various unifying themes. Instead of attempting to force human nature into a restricted scientific image of the world, these papers represent an attempt to place human nature at the centre of renewed - but still scientifically respectful - conceptions of philosophy and nature.