Thought Experiments

Sorensen presents a general theory of thought experiments: what they are,how they work, what are their virtues and vices. On Sorensen's view, philosophydiffers from science in degree, but not in kind. For this reason, he claims, itis possible to understand philosophical thought experiments by concentrating ontheir resemblance to scientific relatives. Lessons learned about scientificexperimentation carry over to thought experiment, and vice versa. Sorensen alsoassesses the hazards and pseudo-hazards of thought experiments. Although hegrants that there are interesting ways in which the method leads us astray, heattacks most scepticism about thought experiments as arbitrary. They should beused, he says, as they generally are used--as part of a diversified portfolio oftechniques. All of these devices are individually susceptible to abuse,fallacy, and error. Collectively, however, they provide a network ofcross-checks that make for impressive reliability.

Roy A. Sorensen is Professor of Philosophy at New York University. He is the author of Blindspots (Oxford, 1988) and Pseudo-Problems (1993).