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TEHRAN - Professor James Klagge from Virginia Polytechnic Institute says philosophers “are now more specialized.” “Since Kant we have not really had thinkers who offer all-encompassing philosophical systems. Philosophical thinkers are now more specialized,” Klagge, tells the Mehr News Agency. Following is the text of the interview: Q: What is the status of religion in our times? A: In some parts of the world, such as Europe, religion is having decreasing influence. In other parts of the world, such as South America, it is having increasing influence. In the USA it is hard to say—there are some increases and some decreases. Q: Do you think that we are entering a world without religious values? If so why? A: I think we are going to a world in which religious values have to be explained in ways that non-religious people can understand. Only if we aim for this mutual understanding will we have peaceful and productive change. If religious values cannot be explained in non-religious ways, then there is a greater danger of violence. Q: There are some thinkers in every discipline who have special authority. For example, Plato and Aristotle in philosophy and Weber and Durkheim in sociology have such special positions. In your opinion, what creates such privileges for such thinkers? A: Plato and Aristotle, like Hume and Kant, were comprehensive thinkers with an all-encompassing philosophical system. Since Kant we have not really had thinkers who offer all-encompassing philosophical systems. Philosophical thinkers are now more specialized. Q: There are some methods for writing papers. Phenomenological, Hermeneutics, constructivist, and deconstructivist methods are some methods for writing papers. What is your method and why do you use it? What are the basic characteristics of it? A: I do my research and writing from a largely analytic perspective. This involves clear definition and analysis of concepts. As the famous ancient Greek philosopher Socrates thought, if you cannot define the words that you use, then you do not know what you are talking about. I think philosophy should help us clarify our thoughts, and this is the best way to address difficult issues. Then we need to test our beliefs by working out their full implications. If we cannot accept some of the implications of our beliefs, then we need to adjust our beliefs. That is the analytic method. Q: Ethics is divided into metaethics, normative ethics, descriptive ethics, and applied ethics. So in interactions between ethics and human life, which ethics are more important? Do you think there is a deep relation between metaethics and human life? A: One of the questions metaethics asks is whether there are right answers to ethical problems at all, or whether ethics is just a matter of personal choice. I think there is a big difference between these two metaethical alternatives, and how a person thinks about this might well affect how that person lives. So metaethics can have a deep relation to human life. Q: Do you give your books and articles to some scholars before publishing them? Is it a good strategy to avoid mistakes in your works? A: I always share a draft of my work with other scholars in the field before I submit it for publication. With my recently published book, Wittgenstein in Exile, the manuscript was read by 9 people who gave me comments. Many of the comments were helpful in correcting or improving points. I am very thankful that other scholars are willing to help. James Klagge is professor of philosophy and head of department of philosophy at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Klagge pursues a variety of research interests in moral philosophy, metaphysics, and 20th century analytic philosophy. He is author of “Wittgenstein in Exile” and “Ludwig Wittgenstein: Public and Private Occasions”.
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