Values and the scope of scientific inquiry
pp. 1-16
in: Maurice Natanson (ed), Phenomenology and social reality, The Hague, Nijhoff, 1970Abstract
Whether philosophy may be regarded as a science is still a disputed question. The historical functions of philosophy have been diversified, with religious, political, socioeconomic, and individual motives playing a role, in addition to the influence of the sciences upon philosophic thought. The view that philosophy is the most fundamental and rigorous science has coexisted with attempts to subordinate it to institutions representing vested interests.