By Schubert Ogden
ogden-self15.pdfPDF Version of this Document
Why is it not possible to determine the self-understanding originally, albeit implicitly, authorized by ultimate reality itself without doing the philosophical reflection proper to metaphysics?
It is not possible because (1) whether a self-understanding is thus authorized depends on whether it is appropriate to ultimate reality in its structure in itself; (2) determining whether it is thus appropriate depends on determining this structure; and (3) determining this structure depends on - indeedon—indeed, is! - doing —doing metaphysics.
Why? Because doing metaphysics is logically analyzing, and so determining, the structure of ultimate reality in itself.
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