Methodological Naturalism: Neutral Principle or Self-Refuting Philosophy?
In this episode, hosts Robert J. Marks and Angus Menuge interview Dr. Robert Larmer about his chapter on methodological naturalism in the recently published volume Minding the Brain. Larmer explains that methodological naturalism is the assumption that when pursuing knowledge, one must always posit a physical cause and never appeal to a non-physical cause. Larmer argues that methodological naturalism is not neutral and that it biases the search for truth in two ways. First, it makes it impossible to recognize and acknowledge non-physical causes, even if they exist. Second, it implies that mental states have no causal influence on our actions, leading to a problematic understanding of ourselves as rational agents. Larmer also discusses how methodological naturalism undermines the idea of scientific rationality and can be self-refuting.
