Moderate Scientism in Philosophy

Buckwalter, W., & Turri, J. (2018). Moderate scientism in philosophy. In J. R. Ridder, R. Peels, & R. van Woudenberg (Eds.), Scientism: prospects and problems (pp. 280–300). Oxford University Press.

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Moderate scientism is the view that empirical science can help answer questions in nonscientific disciplines. In this paper, we evaluate moderate scientism in philosophy. We review several ways that science has contributed to research in epistemology, action theory, ethics, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind. We also review several ways that science has contributed to our understanding of how philosophers make judgments and decisions. Based on this research, we conclude that the case for moderate philosophical scientism is strong: scientific practice has promoted significant progress in philosophy and its further development should be welcomed and encouraged.