An intellectual microcosm

The aim of this chapter is to set out David Wiggins’s overall approach to philosophical investigation. He is situated within a Strawsonian ‘descriptive’ tradition, where metaphysical inquiry is guided by investigation of our pre-theoretical thoughts. Some issues with this ‘descriptive’ approach are voiced: its association with idealism, the implicit rivalry with ‘science-led’ metaphysics, and its dependence on the thesis of ‘conceptual invariance’. I suggest some ways for Wiggins to respond to these objections. This chapter describes the cultural and intellectual microcosm in which David Wiggins's ideas about individuation and organisms took root, specifically in P. F. Strawson's peculiarly fertile descriptive metaphysics. It presents a clearer idea of the distinctive features of Strawsonian descriptivism: its focus on linguistic analysis, its emphasis on ontological priority, and its systematicity. The chapter aims to set out David Wiggins's overall approach to philosophical investigation. He is situated within a Strawsonian 'descriptive' tradition, where metaphysical inquiry is guided by investigation of the pre-theoretical thoughts. Some issues with this 'descriptive' approach are voiced: its association with idealism, the implicit rivalry with 'science-led' metaphysics, and its dependence on the thesis of 'conceptual invariance'. The chapter suggests some ways for Wiggins to respond to these objections. Theories and counter-theories flourish in specific intellectual climates, and to study them effectively it is necessary to have a sense of the familiar or unfamiliar environment of which they are a part. This chapter describes the cultural and intellectual microcosm in which David Wiggins's ideas about individuation and organisms took root, specifically in P. F. Strawson's peculiarly fertile descriptive metaphysics. It presents a clearer idea of the distinctive features of Strawsonian descriptivism: its focus on linguistic analysis, its emphasis on ontological priority, and its systematicity. The chapter aims to set out David Wiggins's overall approach to philosophical investigation. He is situated within a Strawsonian 'descriptive' tradition, where metaphysical inquiry is guided by investigation of the pre-theoretical thoughts. Some issues with this 'descriptive' approach are voiced: its association with idealism, the implicit rivalry with 'science-led' metaphysics, and its dependence on the thesis of 'conceptual invariance'. The chapter suggests some