˜Theœ methods of metaphilosophy Kant, Maimon, and Schelling on how to philosophize about philosophy

On the basis of an examination of Kant's, Maimon's and Schelling's metaphilosophies, this book investigates how, starting from Kant's diagnosis of a "groping metaphysics", a philosophical research program, whose goal is to elucidate the nature and method of philosophy itself, develops. What unites their projects is the thesis that philosophy must begin with an investigation of its own nature, and that this investigation, because of its special object, must be accompanied by a reflection on its method. To this end, their methods are discussed on the assumption that these methods arise from a particular engagement with the theories and practices of the 18th century sciences. Finally, this discussion provides the basis for showing in what ways philosophical experiments, fictions, or models offer methodological solutions to the problem of developing a scientific metaphysics. Front Cover Impressum Contents 0 Introduction 0.1 Metaphilosophy 0.2 A philosophy designed to be metaphilosophy-first 0.3 Scientific tools for metaphilosophy: finding the right procedure 0.3.1 Baconian and Newtonian experimentalism 0.3.2 Galilean idealisations 0.4 Overview 1 Kant’s propaedeutic method 1.1 Propaedeutic philosophy is the study of philosophy 1.2 A two-layered analogy: Baconian and Newtonian experimentalism, and chemical analysis and synthesis 1.3 From empirical experimentation to a priori experimentation 1.4 Kant’s conception of the philosophical experiment 1.5 Chemical analysis and synthesis 1.6 Philosophical procedure in the Aesthetic/Analytic and the Dialectic 1.7 Metaphilosophy as experimentalist practice 2 Maimon’s method of fictions 2.1 Philosophy is the science of the form of all sciences 2.2 Against propaedeutic philosophy: quid facti? and quid juris? 2.2.1 Quid facti? 2.2.2 Quid juris? 2.3 A coalition system: Maimon’s rational dogmatism and empirical scepticism 2.4 The analogy to calculus 2.4.1 Maimon’s philosophy of mathematics 2.4.2 An immanent account of cognition 2.5 The method of fictions 2.6 Philosophical fictions 2.7 Maimon’s metaphilosophy: philosophy as modelling practice 3 Schelling’s method of nature-construction 3.1 Philosophy is the science of the unconditioned 3.2 Fichte’s original insight, Schelling’s observation, and Schelling’s point 3.3 "Naturphilosophie" as science of the unconditioned 3.4 Positing an absolute hypothesis 3.5 The Method of Nature-Construction 3.6 Presenting nature through experiment 3.7 Metaphilosophy as constructive and experimental practice 4 Experiments of reason 4.1 Kant’s experiments of pure reason 4.2 Maimon’s metaphysical modelling 4.3 Schelling’s experimental constructions 4.4 Conclusion Acknowledgements References Abbreviations Other texts On the basis of an examination of Kant's, Maimon's, and Schelling's metaphilosophies, this book investigates how, starting from Kant's diagnosis of a "groping metaphysics", a philosophical research program develops whose goal is to elucidate the nature and method of philosophy itself. Uniting their projects is the thesis that philosophy must begin with an investigation of its own nature, and that this investigation, because of its special object, must be accompanied by a reflection on its method. To this end, their methods are discussed on the assumption that they arise from a particular engagement with the theories and practices of the 18th century sciences. Finally, this discussion provides the basis for showing in what ways philosophical experiments, fictions, or models offer methodological solutions to the problem of developing a scientific metaphysics