
Philosophy’s great experiment - robg
http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=10638
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swombat
As a psychologist, my father has always deplored the fact that psychology, in
the last 100 years, has focused on experimental and pseudo-scientific
techniques as opposed to allowing for the usefulness of non-scientific ideas,
practices, etc. A lot of psychology was discarded because it couldn't be
measured, and what was left at the end of that process was less than what
psychology was before.

In that context, I'd tend to side with the non-x-phi's in this. Scientific
analysis is only _one_ way to understand the world, and it is not the best in
every situation. You can't grow a tree with a hammer and nails.

~~~
madcaptenor
Yes, but perhaps philosophy is too far to the non-experimental side.
Experimental and theoretical philosophy can coexist. But philosophers should
be careful to not let experimental philosophy take over; they should learn
from the experience of psychology.

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ionfish
For those interested in knowing more, the Experimental Philosophy group blog
has been running for a few years now.

<http://experimentalphilosophy.typepad.com/>

It has a long and distinguished list of contributors, including Stephen Stich
and Jonathan Weinberg, who carried out some of the earliest work in this
nascent field.

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albertcardona
Experimental philosophy is called science.

