Kwame Anthony Appiah, a philosopher at Princeton, was on NPR’s Talk of the Nation on January 3rd, 2008. Listen to it here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17815241

He discusses the interesting new area of philosophy called experimental philosophy (“x-phi” for short). (He recently published—in December of 2007—an article in the New York Times on the same topic.)

I think he’s spot on with his analysis of the import of x-phi. It certainly shouldn’t replace “armchair” philosophy, though it is a useful tool as well. There is a serious distinction to be made between normative and descriptive issues, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t better understand the one by doing research on the other. I especially like the way he puts it in the ending bit of the Times article:

You can conduct more [empirical] research to try to clarify matters, but you’re left having to interpret the findings; they don’t interpret themselves. There always comes a point where the clipboards and questionnaires and M.R.I. scans have to be put aside. To sort things out, it seems, another powerful instrument is needed. Let’s see — there’s one in the corner, over there. The springs are sagging a bit, and the cushions are worn, but never mind. That armchair will do nicely.

Good form, Kwame, good form.

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