David Macarthur facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Macarthur
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| Education | Harvard University (PhD), University of Sydney (BA, 1st-class Hons) |
| Era | 21st-century philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Analytic (training), Postanalytic Philosophy, Pragmatism, Skepticism |
| Institutions | University of Sydney |
| Thesis | Skeptical Reason and Inner Experience: A Re-examination of the Problem of the External World (1999) |
| Doctoral advisor | Stanley Cavell, Hilary Putnam, Warren Goldfarb |
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Main interests
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skepticism, metaphysical quietism, pragmatism, naturalism, philosophy of art |
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Notable ideas
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metaphysical quietism, liberal naturalism, an imaginative relational view of art |
David Macarthur is an Australian philosopher and a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sydney. He studies big questions about how we understand the world.
His main interests include skepticism, which is about questioning what we know. He also looks at metaphysical quietism, which suggests some big philosophical questions might not need answers. Other areas he studies are pragmatism, which focuses on practical ways of thinking, and liberal naturalism, which explores how we understand reality. He also thinks a lot about the philosophy of art, especially how we experience movies, photos, and buildings.
Contents
His Journey to Philosophy
David Macarthur first studied medicine and earned a degree in 1988. After that, he got a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1991 from the University of Sydney. He then went to Harvard University in the United States. In 1999, he earned his PhD in philosophy there. His main teachers were famous philosophers like Stanley Cavell, Hilary Putnam, and Warren Goldfarb. His PhD paper was about skepticism and how we know about the world around us.
After finishing his studies, he taught at Tufts University for a year. Then, he worked as a researcher at Macquarie University in Australia. Since 2003, he has been a professor in the Philosophy Department at the University of Sydney.
Big Ideas in His Work
Liberal Naturalism
Professor Macarthur, along with another philosopher named Mario De Caro, created a new way of thinking called liberal naturalism. This idea is different from what many other philosophers believe today.
- What is Naturalism? Naturalism is the idea that everything in the universe can be explained by natural laws and forces.
- Scientific Naturalism: Many philosophers believe that only science can truly explain everything. This is called scientific naturalism.
- Liberal Naturalism: Macarthur's liberal naturalism suggests that while science is important, it's not the only way to understand the world. He believes we also need to understand things like people, language, art, and human-made objects in ways that science alone can't fully explain. It's about seeing the value in both scientific and non-scientific ways of understanding.
Metaphysical Quietism
Another important idea from Professor Macarthur is metaphysical quietism.
- Metaphysics is a part of philosophy that asks very big questions about reality. For example, "What is existence?" or "What is time?"
- Quietism suggests that some of these very big, abstract questions might not have clear answers. Instead of trying to solve them, quietism suggests we should sometimes stop asking them. It means accepting that some things are just part of our everyday experience and don't need a complex philosophical explanation. This idea helps us focus on understanding the world in practical, meaningful ways.
Philosophy of Art
In the world of art, Professor Macarthur has a unique view.
- He disagrees with the idea that every artwork has one fixed, secret meaning or message.
- Instead, he believes in an imaginative relational view of art. This means that art is meaningful, but it doesn't have a single "meaning" that you have to figure out.
- He says that art intimates. This means art suggests things, hints at feelings, or makes us think in new ways. It's more about how we connect with the art and what it makes us feel or imagine, rather than finding a hidden message.
Publications
Professor Macarthur has written and edited many books and articles about his ideas. These include works on liberal naturalism, skepticism, and the philosophy of art. He has also written about the ideas of other important philosophers like Ludwig Wittgenstein, Hilary Putnam, and Richard Rorty.
