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Here’s the version from the book:
Philosophy never advances against a
background of rank ignorance. It flourishes when enough is known about
some domain to make great progress conceivable, even though it remains
incompletely realized because new methods are needed. Philosophers help
by giving us new concepts, reinterpreting old truths, and
reconceptualizing questions to expand their solution spaces. Sometimes
philosophers do this when sciences are born, but they also do it as
disciplines mature. As science advances, there is more, not less, for
philosophy to do. Our knowledge of the universe and ourselves grows like
an expanding sphere of light from a point of illumination. As light
travels in all directions away from the source, the volume of the
sphere, representing our secure knowledge, grows exponentially. But so
does the surface area of the sphere, representing the border where
knowledge blurs into doubt, bringing back methodological uncertainty.
Philosophy monitors the border, ready to help plot our next move.
In the interview, at What Is It Like To Be A Philosopher?, interviewer Clifford Sosis asks what views in philosophy are considered controversial that shouldn’t be. Professor Soames replies, “The view that philosophy makes progress. Of course it does.”
The interview covers Professor Soames’ life, education, work, philosophical views, and politics. You can read the whole thing here.
In this interview, Scott Soames talks about growing up in Seattle, working for the family business, going to Stanford, Kierkegaard, taking a class with Davidson, teaching in Hong Kong, Janis Joplin, protesting Vietnam, applying for conscientious objector status and being sent to prison, working with Suppes and going to grad school at MIT, chilling with Judith Jarvis Thompson and Sylvian Bromberger, Chomsky, linguistics, landing a job at Yale, tensions within the department, trying to finish his dissertation while teaching, becoming friends with, and having a falling out with, Ruth Barcan Marcus, kids and philosophy, Lion King and Kripke, Reagan, Iran, inflation, philosophers and politics, moving to Princeton, the role of work in his life, David Lewis, Trump, philosophy of law, his new book The World Philosophy Made: From Plato to The Digital Age, Buddy Guy, C&C Music Factory, Muddy Waters, his last meal, and the liar paradox.
Read more...
Recommended Reading
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| The World Philosophy Made: From Plato to the Digital Age |
