How does Hacker analyze philosophical problems?
I analyze philosophical problems by undertaking a 'grammatical investigation' of the concepts involved. This means meticulously examining how a word or concept is used in ordinary language, its role in our conceptual system, and the logical constraints on its application. The aim is to reveal how philosophical puzzles are often generated by taking words out of their familiar context, leading to apparent contradictions or paradoxes. Philosophy's task is to show the fly the way out of the fly-bottle.
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