Science can answer a multitude of questions that are beyond the reach of philosophy. Are there questions that philosophy can answer that are beyond the reach of science? And of the questions that science attempts to answer, are there any that philosophy can answer with greater authority? In either case, if there are such questions, they set what we may call philosophical limits of science. I wi...

There is no sharp dividing line between science and philosophy, but philosophical problems tend to have three special features. First, they tend to concern large frameworks rather than specific questions within the framework. Second, they are questions for which there is no generally accepted method of solution. And third they tend to involve conceptual issues. For these reasons a philosophical...

Max Weber and Georg Simmel are considered as ideal-typical founders of sociology. Whereas Simmel pleaded for a large conception of sociology, which would include the epistemological and metaphysical issues as well, Max Weber explicitly excluded philosophical questions from the domain of sociology. A philosophical reading of Max Weber’s sociology, which uncovers his philosophy in the margins of ...

This paper examines a specific appeal to philosophical anthropology—Andy Clark’s—and the role it plays in shaping his account of “our fundamental cyborg humanity.” By focusing on the theme of embodiment, we also inquire into how phenomenology might benefit from Clark’s account as well as how Clark’s account might benefit from further engagement with phenomenology. Throughout, we explore interan...

In this essay we propose that the fundamental philosophical concept of conceptual complexity is captured mathematically by the notion of algorithmic information content, and we discuss the complexity of physical and mathematical theories, the complexity of biological mutations, and the most complex system in biology, the human brain. These are steps in the direction of a mathematical philosophy...

Department Website: http://fundamentals.uchicago.edu About Fundamentals The Fundamentals program enables students to concentrate on fundamental questions by reading classic texts that articulate and speak to these questions. It seeks to foster precise and thoughtful pursuit of basic questions by means of (1) rigorous training in the interpretation of important texts, supported by (2) extensive ...

Department Website: http://fundamentals.uchicago.edu About Fundamentals The Fundamentals program enables students to concentrate on fundamental questions by reading classic texts that articulate and speak to these questions. It seeks to foster precise and thoughtful pursuit of basic questions by means of (1) rigorous training in the interpretation of important texts, supported by (2) extensive ...