Problems Of Life And Mind - Softcover

George Henry Lewes

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0371315964 ISBN 13: 9780371315965

Publisher: HardPress, 2021

Synopsis

Problems Of Life And Mind by George Henry Lewes. In this expansive early volume, Lewes argues for a new, unified method to tackle metaphysical questions by applying the scientific method. He explains that metaphysical problems should be treated like empirical problems: they must be formulated in terms of experience, separated into known (empirical), unknown (metempirical), and unknowable regions, and solved by collecting data, forming hypotheses, and subjecting them to verification. The book introduces the concept of the 'metaphysical method' and argues for reducing metaphysical disputes to testable propositions, challenging traditional metaphysical assertions such as innate ideas or absolute unknowables. Lewes traces the history of philosophy, critiques Kant and other major thinkers, and outlines a program for a philosophy that commingles Psychology, Biology, Sociology with Physics and Mathematics to form a 'Reasoned Realism' that roots knowledge in felt experience and its organization by the mind. He emphasizes the necessity of separating the empirical from the metempirical, distinguishes the three realms of knowledge (sensory, extra-sensory, and supra-sensory), and defends the value of abstraction, hypothesis, and the scientific calibration of metaphysical questions. The volume then proceeds to lay out a schema for future inquiries into the method, the limits of knowledge, and the place of sentiment in philosophy.

Edition details

• Publisher: HardPress
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0371315964
• ISBN 13: 9780371315965
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 460