NYC Philosophy Salon

The early analytic tradition combined empiricism, which had been present in philosophy for some time, with the new tools of logic in an attempt to place mathematics, science, and philosophy more broadly on a firmer foundation than ever before. By the middle of the twentieth century, these initial ambitions seemed overly extravagant, as many of the problems that had long plagued empiricism were resurfacing. In 1956, Wilfrid Sellars responded to this state of affairs with Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind, encouraging analytic philosophy to enter its Kantian phase and move beyond a Humean empiricism. His central target was the “Myth of the Given,” the idea that experience can justify belief without already involving concepts. The work was highly influential on Richard Rorty and Robert Brandom, who later wrote the introduction and study guide, respectively, for the 1997 edition, and who helped usher in a new wave of ideas in the analytic tradition.

The early analytic tradition combined empiricism, which had been present in philosophy for some time, with the new tools of logic in an attempt to place mathematics, science, and philosophy more broadly on a firmer foundation than ever before. By the middle of the twentieth century, these initial ambitions seemed overly extravagant, as many of the problems that had long plagued empiricism were resurfacing. In 1956, Wilfrid Sellars responded to this state of affairs with Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind, encouraging analytic philosophy to enter its Kantian phase and move beyond a Humean empiricism. His central target was the “Myth of the Given,” the idea that experience can justify belief without already involving concepts. The work was highly influential on Richard Rorty and Robert Brandom, who later wrote the introduction and study guide, respectively, for the 1997 edition, and who helped usher in a new wave of ideas in the analytic tradition.

Jürgen Habermas (1929-2026), German philosopher and social theorist, passed away this past March. To honor his passing we will examine Legitimation Crisis, originally published in German in 1973. In this work Habermas provided a sober critique of Western culture, democracy, and capitalism. As a supporter of rationality and democracy, his goal was to lay out the deep problems he saw facing the west at the time, diagnosing them with precision, in order to challenge the very institutions he held dear to change course and avoid disaster. He argued that advanced capitalist societies face a legitimation crisis, in which citizens lose trust in a political and economic system that cannot deliver what it promises, a loss that could undermine the society itself. Now that it is 2026 and it feels like political and economic crises are potentially around the corner at every turn, we can benefit from analyzing this timely text. With the benefit of hindsight we can weigh what Habermas had to say against what actually happened, looking to draw lessons for the present.

Jürgen Habermas (1929-2026), German philosopher and social theorist, passed away this past March. To honor his passing we will examine Legitimation Crisis, originally published in German in 1973. In this work Habermas provided a sober critique of Western culture, democracy, and capitalism. As a supporter of rationality and democracy, his goal was to lay out the deep problems he saw facing the west at the time, diagnosing them with precision, in order to challenge the very institutions he held dear to change course and avoid disaster. He argued that advanced capitalist societies face a legitimation crisis, in which citizens lose trust in a political and economic system that cannot deliver what it promises, a loss that could undermine the society itself. Now that it is 2026 and it feels like political and economic crises are potentially around the corner at every turn, we can benefit from analyzing this timely text. With the benefit of hindsight we can weigh what Habermas had to say against what actually happened, looking to draw lessons for the present.