Contemporary Philosophers Both Big Up and Play Down Metaphysics
Philosopher David Manley claims that “most contemporary metaphysicians are concerned with the reality that is represented” and not with “language and thoughts”. Other (analytic) philosophers argue that much (analytic) metaphysics is “shallow” and “merely verbal”. More technically, they argue that such metaphysicians make claims which simply aren’t “truth-evaluable”.
Professor David Manley (at the University of Michigan) believes that
“[m]ost contemporary metaphysicians think of themselves as concerned, not primarily with the representations of language and thoughts, but with the reality that is represented”.
David Manley goes on to write that this
“approach in mainstream metaphysics [has] only come to ascendancy lately, and is still widely challenged”.
Manley also tells us that metaphysics “is concerned with the foundations of reality”. He continues:
