Abstract

When researchers and scholars claim their work is based on a philosophical idea or a philosopher’s corpus of ideas (and theory/theorist can be substituted for philosophy/philosopher), and when “basing” signifies something significant rather than subsidiary or inconsequential, what level of understanding and expertise can readers reasonably expect authors to possess? In this paper some of the uses to which philosophical ideas and named philosophers (Martin Heidegger and Leo Strauss) are put in exegesis is critiqued. Considering problematic instances of idea-name use may enable the question: “Can philosophy benefit nurses and/or nursing?” to be better understood if not answered.