From PhilPapers forum Philosophy, Misc:

2009-06-12
Major philosophical issues that have been conclusively solved?
Reply to Sam Coleman
Just a brief thought to add to my last.

It seems to me - and I may be wrong - that to believe that any major philosophical issues have been conclusively solved one would have to believe one of four alternatives:

(1) that all previous attempts to solve said problems were based on certain presuppositions, but the modern "conclusive" solutions are based on none at all (they are "presuppositionless").

(2) that all previous attempts were based on incorrect presuppositions, and we now have the correct ones.

(3) that all previous attempts were based on correct presuppositions but that all previous philosophers made mistakes in reasoning from said presuppositions.

(4) philosophy always proceeds by a kind of intellectual "progress" and in the case of these conclusive solutions the final stage has at last been reached (a kind of Hegelian stance).

Two questions:

(a) Have I missed any? 

(b) Which one would those who believe some major issues have been conclusively solved opt for? (To my mind, none of them seem very attractive).


DA