Even if the dialogue “Botanisten och filosofen” is a popularization of Das Prinzip derWissenschaft, it serves as an example, a case study testing the implementation of the ideas forwarded in Das Prinzip, especially its budding anti-subjectivism, as well as an illumination of a few leading principles of Hägerström’s out put, especially his defense of object sciences.23 The underlying theme of “Botanisten och filosofen” is a discussion on the foundations of objective scientific knowledge from two standpoints - the empiricist’s and the philosopher’s.The problem is that it is impossible to base objective knowledge upon a purely empirical foundation, which pure empiricism (sensualism) sets out to do, because even a pure act of apprehension both presupposes and uses concepts that are not immediately immanent in experience itself, such as, for instance, the concept of causality.24 In addition to this, the discussion also touches upon the necessity of a structured approach towards the fundamental issues of science: “Is a philosophical doctrine of knowledge superfluous?”25 The protagonists are the Botanist, representing the empirical sciences, and the Philosopher, representing philosophy.The subjects a ca l l f o r s c i e n t i f i c p u r i t y 175 23 I have chosen to use the more extensive version of “Botanisten och filosofen” published by Martin Fries in Hägerström, Filosofi och vetenskap. 24 Hägerström, “B. o. F.” ., pp. 35-39, 43-46, 60-68, 78-84, 99-102, and 106-109. 25 See, e.g., Hägerström, “Botanisten och filosofen” (1910), p. 58. My translation. Swedish: “Är filosofisk kunskapslära överflödig?” Case Study: “Botanisten och filosofen” - An Attempt to Save Science chap te r 2
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