Mesmerized by science

Any philosopher who mentions my work in their Ph.D. thesis is to be recommended, in my view. One such is Oxford philosopher Edward Kanterian. But what Kanterian says here transcends mere self-interest. Here he is, defending the currently unfashionable view that the methods of philosophy are altogether unlike the methods of the sciences. Even more interesting, he says this fashionable view has a transatlantic source.

'American culture is mesmerized by science. It seems to me that all too many American philosophers think that all real problems can be resolved and answered by scientific methods and that philosophy is either continuous with science or at any rate ought to emulate the methods of the sciences. I have the impression that such a view is widespread in America. It is certainly a view that was encouraged by Quine. And most American philosophers seem to think that Quine showed that the analytic/synthetic, a priori/a posteriori, conceptual/empirical distinctions are obsolete, invalid and to be rejected.'

But read for yourself.