Abstract:
Having taught and authored several decades in the field of analytical philosophy, the New York University philosophy professor Peter Unger came to the conclusion that the common views in analytical philosophy, including his own works, lack objective and substantial content. While analyzing and criticizing his past views, he also focused on the philosophy of David Lewis to show that his philosophical views are either empty or have fueled empty debates. Anger's main argument is that the analysis of concepts favored by the analytical philosophers is an endless and fruitless effort and is a serious obstacle to addressing the fundamental issues of philosophy (such as the existence of the soul and immortality). The view of "plurality of worlds", "defense of the existence of attributes" and "eternalism" are the three philosophical views of Lewis, and Unger's critique on them will be studied in this article. Among his three viewpoints, Unger considers only the "plurality of worlds" theory to have an objective content. But he considers this viewpoint to be ill-founded. The author has argued that with Unger's criteria the "plurality of worlds" theory cannot have an objective content. Furthermore, a part of Lewis's philosophy has a metaphysical nature and his way of reasoning is incompatible with the nature of analytical philosophy.