Whence Original Inquiry?
Abstract
Can inquiry begin with a standpoint that is maximally non-committal or without presupposition? And if it can, what value might there be in such presupposition-free inquiry? I answer negatively on both fronts: such presupposition-free inquiry is neither possible for us, nor the only way available to us for knowing what our world is really like. I begin by defending these two claims. I then discuss how Fiocco’s (2024) recent book Time and the World: Every Thing and Then Some poses a direct challenge to my position, and how that challenge might be overcome.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Epistemology
Ethics
and Metaphysics
Feminist Epistemology and Gender Studies
Philosophy
Science
and History
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Analysis
- Publication date
- 5 January 2026
- Language
- EN