Sider Defends Metaphysics

Posted on May 15, 2008
Filed Under Philosophy |

Ted SiderRichard at Philosophy Et Cetera had a great Sider quote the other day. Sider is one of my favorite contemporary philosophers. He writes in a very clear and lucid way. He’s that rare soul who can take complex ideas and arguments and make them accessible. He also manages in his works to clearly present the best case for his opponents in away you can understand. Far too many people are great about their own ideas but not so hot about the ideas they disagree with.

Anyway I wanted to present my favorite Sider quote.

I have no good epistemology of metaphysics to offer. It should not be thought, though, that this uncertainty makes metaphysics a worthless enterprise. It would be foolish to require generally that epistemological foundations be established before substantive inquiry can begin. Mathematics did not proceed foundations-first. Nor did physics. Nor has ethics, traditionally. …

Skeptics often ask too much of metaphysical arguments. A priori metaphysical arguments should not be faulted for not being decisive. … Metaphysical inquiry can survive if we are willing to live with highly tentative conclusions. Let’s not kid ourselves: metaphysics is highly speculative! It does not follow that it is entirely without rational grounds. (Sider, Four Dimensionalism, xv)

(For those interested I discussed Sider at the old blog here, here and here)

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