Empirical Rationalism: A Philosophical Defense

FAIN: FA-58646-15

Shamik Dasgupta
Princeton University (Princeton, NJ 08540-5228)

A rationalist is someone who endorses the Principle of Sufficient Reason, the principle that everything has an explanation. Although rationalism was embraced by such luminaries as Aquinas, Spinoza, and Leibniz, contemporary philosophers tend to treat it as an antiquated view that should not be taken seriously today. I believe that this contemporary attitude is a mistake, and I am applying for funds to complete a book that motivates and defends a distinctive brand of rationalism. The brand is distinctive because it shares features with a view that is sometimes thought to be its anti-thesis, namely empiricism. Indeed, I will argue for the surprising claim that my brand of rationalism follows from empiricist principles! Hence the view, and the book, will be titled "Empirical Rationalism."