Metaphors and Metaphysics

Abstract

5 T WH ETHER in sympathy or antipathy, there are A/1I many philosophers who have been concerned with V Professor Dewey's treatment of metaphysics. For Dewey, the role of philosophy as criticism is a "straight and narrow path." While philosophical discourse partakes of literary discourse, its task is restricted to analysis and evaluation. Not thus restricted are the arts of literary discourse, for, as Dewey writes, "they have a freer office to perform-to perpetuate, enhance and vivify in imagination the natural goods; ." The restriction of philosophy to the task of criticism entails the casting-out of cosmological system-making. Metaphysics is concerned solely with a description of the generic traits of existence. A descriptive naturalism notes and registers, detects and defines, the "inextricable mixture of stability and uncertainty" displayed by events in their histories. Such a metaphysics is a "preliminary outline of the field of criticism, whose chief import is to afford understanding of the necessity and nature of the office of intelligence." The preliminary outline is no ultimate explanation of anything. No theology or superscience is admitted as a legitimate conversion into a cosmological status of those traits that are precious to us. The ontologically descriptive is not followed by the cosmologically prescriptive. Dewey, in his metaphysics, sets before us the conditions of diversity and mutability which challenge men but offers us no cosmic security, guidance, or solace. Philosophy as criticism looks to the derivations, contexts, and references of our beliefs, meanings, and values and recommends intelligence to provide instruments of choice and control.