Publication Details

Abstract

The article is designed to defend the thesis that conceptual analysis is the main method of analytic philosophy. Philosophical analysis pursued in analytic philosophy can be identified with conceptual analysis while concepts can be supposed to be the primary subject-matter of philosophical theories. The thesis can be justified by claiming that philosophical statements are either explicitly or implicitly modal. The truth of modal statements cannot be justified by methods used in (empirical) sciences; some other methods, namely conceptual analysis and related methods should be invoked. The thesis is illustrated by an example taken from the philosophy of language; it is also defended against the argument stemming from philosophical naturalism.