It is obvious that Hägerström saw the separation of epistemology from ontology as a preliminary to his primary philosophical task, namely that of the critique of metaphysics.370 “Praeterea censeo metaphysicam esse delendam”, Hägerström’s motto for Selbstdarstellungen,371 is particularly illuminating in this respect.Through this motto, he declared the theoretical opinion that metaphysics must be destroyed in the name of science, an idea and opinion expressing the very quintessence of his philosophy.372 The reason why metaphysics must be destroyed is that when science in general is put under scrutiny one cannot help but notice a few, but nevertheless crucial, problems - problems concerning science’s relationship to objective reality. First: p a r t i 1 160 Summary and Conclusions: A Definition of Science 7. 1 “praete rea censeo metaphys icam e s se de lendam” 370 Hägerström, Selbstdarstellungen, p. 26. 371 Ibid., p. 48. English translation:“Moreover I propose that metaphysics must be destroyed.” Hägerström, “Summary,” p. 74. 372 Hägerström, Selbstdarstellungen, p. 48; “Summary,” p. 74. NB. Robert T. Sandin has translated the German text “Das Motto, das ich diesem Aufsatz vorangestellt habe: ‘Praeterea censeo metaphysicam esse delendam’, ist keine abfällige Bewertung der Metaphysik” as “The motto which I have placed at the head of this essay, was ‘Praeterea censeo metaphysicam esse delendam, is not simply [my Italics] an unfavourable evalutation of metaphysics”. Thereby changing the meaning of the sentence from that, which Hägerström would consider to be, of a theoretical meaning to that of a normative and a theoretical meaning, which entails a considerable difference when it comes to understanding Hägerström’s philosophy. The conclusion that is possible to infer on the basis of Sandin’s translation is that Hägerström’s philosophy lends normative expressions, i.e., value judgments, a theoretical meaning, a conclusion that is contrary to Hägerström’s entire philosophy chap te r 7
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