Derek Ball Philosophy Without Truth

Abstract: Contemporary debates about philosophical methodology -- for example, about the role of 'intuitions' in philosophy, or the role of empirical evidence -- typically assume that philosophical theories are successful only if they are true. But it is highly contentious whether or in what respects scientific theories aim at truth. I argue that the sorts of consideration that have led philosophers of science to maintain that successful scientific theories need not be true apply equally to philosophy, while the sorts of considerations that have been used to defend the central place of truth in science fail to apply to philosophy. I conclude that philosophical success does not require truth.