Inquiry as a transcendental activity

Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy 10 (1-4):1 – 20 (1967)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

We examine the notion of inquiry and argue that philosophic inquiry is a transcendental activity. Activities, viewed as conforming to intelligible canons, applying to appropriate contexts, and directed to specifiable ends, are contrasted with their empirical descriptions. Inquiry, characterized as an internalized, continuous activity directed to an intrinsic end, and fundamentally presupposed by other activities, is considered at the levels of (1) science, (2) philosophy and (3) transcendental philosophy. We argue that (2) is a transcendental activity which determines non-empirical concepts and is presupposed by (1). Alternative philosophic frameworks are grounded on hypothetical canons conceived by intelligence itself, which imply interpretations of objectivity and universality claiming validity for the community of inquirers, but they can always be rejected. We consider the possibility of categorical canons operating as second-order rules necessarily presupposed for the formulation of alternative philosophic frameworks, and (3) would be the activity of identifying, justifying and applying such transcendental canons of inquiry in general. Finally, we suggest that the only possible justification of such categorical canons would be a kind of ontological proof. Thus, a given philosophic approach reflects the transcendental activity of determining non-empirical concepts through the implementation of its fundamental regulative norms; but transcendental philosophy would determine the concept of philosophy itself through implementation of the categorical canons of inquiry in the construction of philosophic systems

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,221

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Recent reinterpretations of the transcendental.Sami Pihlstr - 2004 - Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy 47 (3):289 – 314.
Transcendental Logic Redefined.Manuel Bremer - 2008 - Review of Contemporary Philosophy 7.
Recent reinterpretations of the transcendental.Sami Pihlström - 2004 - Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy 47 (3):289-314.
The transcendental method and (post-)empiricist philosophy of science.Sami Pihlström & Arto Siitonen - 2005 - Journal for General Philosophy of Science / Zeitschrift für Allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie 36 (1):81 - 106.
The foundations of corporate responsibility.J. B. Wilbur - 1982 - Journal of Business Ethics 1 (2):145 - 155.

Analytics

Added to PP
2009-02-04

Downloads
22 (#603,837)

6 months
1 (#1,027,696)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references