The Category of Analytic Philosophy. Remarks About the Development of the Term

Abstract

The paper gives an account of the origins of the term „analytic philosophy”. The term appeared in the paper Impressions and Appraisals of Analytic Philosophy in Europe by Ernest Nagel, published in 1936, and was subsequently employed by G. Bergmann, H. H. Price, and especially A. Pap. It has both descriptive and normative uses. In its descriptive use it refers to a certain movement in contemporary philosophy. In its normative use it stands for a proper way of doing philosophy, that is the way which provides us with carefully justified conclusions in clear language. Unfortunately, these two different uses are often conflated.