Philosophy as worldview

pp. 3-22

in: Mario Bunge, Matter and mind, Berlin, Springer, 2010

Abstract

A worldview is a comprehensive conception of all there is, whereas a philosophy is a scholarly discipline divided into special fields, every one of which is usually cultivated independently of the others. For example, the typical philosopher of mind won't be interested in the philosophy of matter. As a consequence, he may find it hard to believe that matter can think. Or else he may be so radical a naturalist that he may believe that brains secrete cultures. I wish to restore the traditional unity of philosophy conceived of as an elaborate worldview or, if preferred, as a theory of everything. Such a unitary or integrated conception of philosophy should help place every philosophical problem in a network of knowledge items, instead of tackling it as an isolated puzzle.