Charlie Broad English philosopher Date of Birth: 30.12.1887 Country: Great Britain

1. Biography of Charlie Broad
2. Critical and Speculative Philosophy
3. Shift of Interest and Contributions

Biography of Charlie Broad

Charlie Broad was an English philosopher, born on December 30, 1887, in London. He received his education at Dulwich College and Trinity College, Cambridge University, where he later became a professor of moral philosophy from 1933 to 1953. He taught for several years at the universities of Dundee, Dublin, Michigan, and the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1935, he became the president of the Society for Psychical Research.

Critical and Speculative Philosophy

Broad distinguished between critical and speculative philosophy, which involve different subjects and methods of investigation. According to him, the main task of critical philosophy is to clarify the meanings of general concepts such as "cause," "change," "place," and "thing." These concepts are constantly used in everyday life and science, but they are not studied explicitly anywhere else except in philosophy. Their ordinary understanding is "extremely confused," and when we encounter unfamiliar situations, we do not know how justified their usage is. For example, although we know the everyday meaning of the concept "place," we are perplexed by the question, "Where is the mirror image of a pin located?" The task of critical philosophy is to clarify the meanings of such words through analysis and definition. Critical philosophy also analyzes the fundamental assumptions of science, such as the assumption that every change has a cause. Speculative philosophy is more ambitious in its aims, seeking to construct a theory of the universe that takes into account the results of various sciences, as well as the implications of our moral and religious experience.

Shift of Interest and Contributions

Broad's skeptical attitude, his love for precision in thinking and expression, and his calls for careful scrutiny led to a shift in his interests from speculative problems to problems of critical philosophy. The latter are discussed in a series of his exceptionally clear works, including "Perception, Physics, and Reality" (1914), "The Mind and Its Place in Nature" (1925), "Five Types of Ethical Theory" (1930), "Examination of McTaggart's Philosophy" (1933–1938), "Ethics and the History of Philosophy" (1952), and "Lectures on Psychical Research" (1963). Broad passed away in Cambridge on March 11, 1971.