adherence of the empirical sciences to an allegedly purely empirical foundation, so-called sensualism, which, according to Hägerström’s understanding, can neither serve as a solid ground for the law of causality nor demonstrate the law of causality’s own validity.45 According to the Philosopher, only the non-empirical methods provided by philosophy can validate the law of causality. Furthermore, the claims of objectivity asserted by the empirical sciences are only possible to argue successfully on the condition that causality itself is logically analyzed, which necessitates the use of a truth principle that is absolutely independent of all experience.46 A similar problem afflicting the empirical sciences is that historical sciences (including history, geology, the theory of evolution and other merely descriptive empirical sciences), which only claim to describe historical courses of events and facts, are affected by the Philosopher’s critique, because even if the historical sciences refrained from making predictions and explanations, they nevertheless still base the mere statement of a fact upon the assumption that the law of causality is perpetually valid.47 The simple statement of facts necessitates the supposition that a causal context in which facts can be established exists, which in turn necessitates the supposition that the law of causality is (eternally) valid.48 No matter what, the empirical sciences are unable to prove the validity of the law of causality empirically. Hence, the Philosopher argues, the empirical sciences rest upon a condition that cannot be proved by use of empirical methods themselves.49 Under these conditions, the compelling scientific objectivity that the empirical sciences purport to have is seriously weakened.Thus, the Philosopher’s conclusion is that the absence of an unassailable foundation invalidates pure empiricism. p a r t i i i , c h a p t e r 2 182 45 Ibid., pp. 35-39. 46 Ibid., p. 39. 47 Ibid., pp. 31-32. 48 Ibid., pp. 33-34. 49 Ibid., pp. 22-26, 39-42, and 99-102.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjYyNDk=