ABSTRACT
This chapter explores two lectures on the nature of philosophy. It presents the negative and critical statements about philosophy itself and about certain views as to its nature and functions. The chapter illustrates the ideas which have thrown out in the course of criticism of the view that the sole function of philosophy is to analyse common-sense propositions. Philosophy claims to be a branch of knowledge or of well-founded belief. Many professional philosophers nowadays would be ready to admit that there is a great deal of truth in these contentions, and would be content to make very modest claims for their subject. The non-epistemic propositions which constitute the first primary group may themselves be subdivided first into physical and psychological propositions. The physical propositions may then be subdivided into autobiographical, heterobiographical and non-biographical. The psychological non-epistemic propositions may be subdivided into a number of autobiographical ones and a single heterobiographical one.
