Experimental philosophy is one of the most controversial and potentially revolutionary areas of philosophical research today. X-Phi, as it is known by many of its practitioners, questions many basic concepts regarding human intuitions—concepts which have guided centuries of modern philosophers. In their place, x-phi steers philosophical research back to scientific investigations in order to better understand human intuitions, using research techniques borrowed from current research in psychology and neuroscience.

While scholars debate whether experimental philosophy signals a sea change or is merely a faddish detour, no existing book looks at the X-Phi movement in reference to its methodology. In The Experimental Turn and the Methods of Philosophy, Michael J.Shaffer addresses this need, suggesting that the significance of experimental philosophy can best be assessed and understood in methodological terms. By comparing and contrasting traditional views of philosophical methodology with those of experimental philosophy, Shaffer traces the roots of the movement to Quinean naturalism and also demonstrates the deep, revolutionary significance of the experimental turn.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part 1: Philosophical Methodology

Chapter 1: Standard Philosophical Method

Chapter 2: Voices of Dissent

Chapter 3: The Nature of Intuition

Part 2: Experimental Philosophy

Chapter 4: The Rationality Wars: A Prelude to Experimental Philosophy

Chapter 5: The Experiments

Chapter 6: Interpreting the Experimental Results and the Varieties of Experimental Philosophy

Chapter 7: Criticisms and Defenses of Experimental Philosophy

Part 3: Philosophical Revolutions

Chapter 8: Kuhnian Revolutions

Chapter 9: Philosophical Revolutions and Experimental Philosophy

Chapter 10: Conclusion