Question by kwhelanne: What is the specific name for when a philosopher’s idea backfires?
For example, an argument against the philosopher who said that all metaphysical matters were meaningless is that his theory is metaphysical, and, thus, meaningless. What is act of proving oneself wrong fundamentally called?
Best answer:
Answer by Molecular Mass
It’s called a booboo.
Add your own answer in the comments!
self-contradiction?
incorrect
Its called an anti thesis, but like a THEORY it does prove anything. It simples states the other side of, or opposing view, of the argument. Theories are educated and reasoned guesses, like wise an anti thesis are educated and reasoned retractions of the original theory, in whole or in part.
There is also a double usage of the word Theory so be careful. Theory in science requires distinct observations as a class of phenomena, and makes assertions about the underlying reality that brings about or affects this class.
In the Humanities theories are abstract and conceptual, and to this end they are never considered right or wrong. Instead, they are supported or challenged by observations in the world. They are ‘rigorously tentative’, meaning that they are proposed as true but expected to satisfy careful examination to account for the possibility of faulty inference or incorrect observation. Sometimes theories are falsified, meaning that an explicit set of observations contradicts some fundamental assumption of the theory, but more often theories are revised to conform to new observations,
Its likely that few “metaphysical” theories are meaningless;
What is meant here-in direct contrast to the popular and mythical (dream-like) mistake that views metaphysics as basically an untaught sort-of-emotion(!) – is that any philosopher’s idea comes,so to speak,with “baggage”; i mean it comes with a “history” of sorts and thus actually must have meaning ( to correspond with some reality).
E.g. self-correction-thro-logic ; and although the name escapes me i’m sure someone can name it here!