Philosophical Methodology

Undergraduate

What does philosophical inquiry involve? What should it involve? What are the best ways to make progress in philosophy? Are the best methods for making progress in one area of philosophy (e.g. metaphysics) different from the best methods in another area (e.g. ethics)? Does the idea of philosophical progress even make sense? This course will address these and other questions about the nature of philosophy and philosophical methodology. Possible approaches to be discussed include conceptual analysis, philosophical naturalism, genealogy, ideology critique, phenomenology, thought experiments, and the a priori .