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 nonhuman. The new faith says science, not man, is the measure of all things. However, there is a growing skepticism about the adequacy of this complacent orthodoxy. This volume presents a group of leading thinkers who criticize 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 Dupré, 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 center of renewed--but still scientifically respectful--conceptions of philosophy and nature.

Mario De Caro is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Università Roma Tre.David Macarthur is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Sydney.

Introduction: The Nature of Naturalism

I. Science and Reality

1. The Charm of Naturalism
Barry Stroud

2. The Miracle of Monism
John Dupré

3. The Content and Appeal of "Naturalism"
Hilary Putnam

4. Naturalism Without Representationalism
Huw Price

II. Mind

5. Naturalism in the Philosophy of Mind
John McDowell

6. Naturalism and Skepticism
David Macarthur

7. Intentionality and Norms
Akeel Bilgrami

8. Could There Be a Science of Rationality?
Donald Davidson

III. Agency

9. Agency and Alienation
Jennifer Hornsby

10. Is Freedom Really a Mystery?
Mario De Caro

11. Subjectivity and the Agential Perspective
Stephen L. White

IV. Ethical and Aesthetic Normativity

12. A Nonnaturalist Account of Personal Identity
Carol Rovane

13. Against Naturalism in Ethics
Erin I. Kelly

14. Postscript (2002) to "The Investigations' Everyday Aesthetics of Itself"
Stanley Cavell

Notes

Bibliography

Contributors

Index