Naturalism as a stance

This chapter tries to clarify what is meant by naturalism in general and liberal naturalism in particular. The idea that naturalism of any form is a methodological or metaphysical thesis is rejected as incoherent. Naturalism, I claim, is better understood as a stance and is to be defended by its prospective promise in solving or dissolving philosophical problems. By offering a criticism of the methodology of analytic metaphysics, I provide an illustration of the naturalistic stance at work. I end with some brief reflections on what it might mean to be a more or less liberal naturalist if we understand naturalism as a stance.