What was the revival of metaphysics in analytic philosophy?

Analytic philosophy initially focused heavily on language, logic, and science while moving away from traditional speculation. However, later thinkers led a decline of logical positivism that enabled a major resurgence of metaphysical inquiry within the analytic tradition.

What we know

• Analytic philosophy is characterized by an emphasis on analysis, clear prose, formal logic, mathematics, and the natural sciences. [2]
• Wilfrid Sellars, W. V. O. Quine, Saul Kripke, and David Lewis led a decline of logical positivism and a subsequent revival in metaphysics. [2]
• Western philosophy broadly refers to philosophical thought and traditions beginning with ancient Greek philosophy of the pre-Socratics. [3]

Where to go next

• what caused itWhat was logical positivism?
• whoHow did W. V. O. Quine influence philosophy?
• how it workedWhat is the linguistic turn in philosophy?
• compared withHow does analytic philosophy differ from continental philosophy?
• the bigger pictureWhat are the main branches of analytic philosophy?
• an unexpected connectionHow does mathematical logic connect to metaphysics?Although early analytic philosophy used formal logic and mathematics to eliminate traditional metaphysics, later analytic philosophers used similar rigorous tools to revive and rebuild metaphysical systems.

Sources

• [1]Continental philosophy · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [2]Analytic philosophy · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Western philosophy · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]History of philosophy · CC BY-SA 4.0