Identifier

etd-04092009-111949

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Philosophy and Religious Studies

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to compare and contrast the philosophies of Martin Heidegger and John Dewey regarding metaphysics and science. Concerning metaphysics, there are two main areas of attention, the historical emergence of metaphysics in the philosophical tradition, and the abandonment of the metaphysical notions of substance and subjectivity. After examining these two areas of both thinkers’ philosophies, we then turn to their philosophy of science, demonstrating how the scientific thought of both thinkers is inseparable from their metaphysical critiques. For Heidegger, modern science is merely a continuation of the metaphysics of the past, while for Dewey; science is the tool by which modern man can throw off the false metaphysical assumptions of the past. After demonstrating the metaphysical and scientific thought of both thinkers, both are compared to one another, in an attempt to illuminate their similarities and differences, finally concluding that if reconciliation is possible between Heidegger and Dewey, it is in their environmental thought.

Date

2009

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Francois Raffoul

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.2255

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