ABOUT US

 

 

MISSION STATEMENT

 

The overarching mission of The Ammonius Foundation is to stimulate renewed appreciation for systematic philosophy, by materially supporting excellent research and writing on certain foundational themes of traditional metaphysics.

 

Metaphysics is a special branch of the more general field of philosophy.  Its aim is to discover the deepest truths about the world – to investigate the nature of fundamental reality.  In the tradition of great thinkers from Plato and Aristotle, through the medieval period to modern-era thinkers such as Spinoza, Leibniz and others, metaphysics long held a distinctively central place in the whole of philosophy, systematically shaping careful reflection on perennial themes of mind, ethics, language, epistemology, and philosophical theology.  As recently as the early half of the 20th century, under the dominance of positivism and ordinary-language philosophy, metaphysics came to be regarded not merely as peripheral to philosophical reflection, but as largely devoid of any significant philosophical content beyond an articulation of the deepest commitments of natural science.  Today, a new generation of metaphysically-oriented thinkers has succeeded in returning the themes of traditional metaphysics to something very like the place they once enjoyed.  At very least, metaphysics is justly and securely positioned among the several main branches of contemporary philosophy.

 

It is to this healthy state of affairs that the Ammonius Foundation continues to bring its own forward-looking vision and financial investment.  Our vision is that metaphysics will once again have a distinctively central place in the whole of philosophy – that it will be more like the trunk than like merely one of philosophy’s branches.  The Foundation’s stated mission, namely stimulating renewed appreciation for systematic philosophy, is predicated on the conviction that systematic metaphysics, important in its own right, is genuinely foundational to philosophical reflection within the other sub-fields of philosophy. The Ammonius Foundation, though guided by certain philosophical principles to be noted shortly, builds no quietly-hidden agenda or idealistic dream for any new “applied metaphysics” into this vision.  Ours is simply the un-apologetic conviction that important issues of deep metaphysics should, and with suitable attention from practicing scholars can, inform the development of a uniquely rich and promising direction to philosophical thought. 

 

To this end, The Ammonius Foundation shall devise, implement, and endeavor to sustain funding and award Programs that materially support individual scholarly research, writing, and publication on selected core themes of traditional metaphysics.  In so doing, our hope is to publicly recognize, and over time inspire, such projects as are congenial to our un-apologetic vision, and which The Foundation judges to be of exceptional quality and promise.  In this role as a funding entity, The Ammonius Foundation resolves to value, and commits to observing, the highest standards of integrity and stewardship in the administration of all its Programs.

 

Consistent with our broad mission of principle already given, The Ammonius Foundation will, like any philanthropic entity, be guided in practice by some set of directives.  Our stated goals already express the belief that sober attention to issues of deep metaphysics can and should play a uniquely important role in philosophical inquiry more widely conceived.  We recognize, at the same time, that there is considerable pluralism – both substantive and methodological – to be found in contemporary philosophy.  The Foundation thus wishes explicitly to state those beliefs about reality, and about philosophical inquiry, which most strongly animate the aspirational and strategic basis for Foundation programs and their implementation. Inevitably one or another of these claims will strike some as unremarkable, and others as more speculative. As an organization committed to the value of mutual understanding and innovative thought, we intend by them no doctrinal statement binding either The Foundation in all its decisions or funded scholars in their research and writing.  They do however express philosophical commitments of The Ammonius Foundation, and thereby serve as Guiding Principles in our effort to stimulate renewed appreciation for systematic philosophy with metaphysical underpinnings.  (Further information about the role of these Guiding Principles, and funding of research, may be found under FAQ)

   

 

GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF THE AMMONIUS FOUNDATION

 

Realism   There is an objective reality. 
Reality exists, and has the properties it does, independently of human beliefs and assertions; beliefs and assertions are true or false depending upon how reality is.  (A consequence: it is false that everything is a social or mental construct.)

 

Intelligibility   Reality is intelligible.  
To every part and every aspect of reality there corresponds a truth; truths are in principle objects of cognitive grasp, and are in practice candidates for explanation.  (A consequence: it is false that some of reality is incoherent, or that some of it transcends all possible thought.)

 

Epistemic Progress   There is progress in human understanding.  
Much that humans cognize about reality rises to the level of knowledge; the extent of human knowledge is not static or regressive, but increases.  (A consequence: skepticism is false.)

 

Fallibilism   Human knowledge is fallible. 
Humans very often cannot rule out the possibility that their best-justified beliefs about reality are false; but the fallibility of belief is consistent with knowledge.  (A consequence: it is false that we can claim to know things only if we are certain about them.)   

 

Rational Intuition   Human knowledge includes the deliverances of rational intuition. 
Rational intuition is an integral part of mathematical, metaphysical and theological knowledge.  (A consequence: it is false that the only way to acquire knowledge of truths about reality is via perceptual observation and inferences there-from.)  

 

Teleology   There exists objective teleology in the world. 
The nature of dependent particulars is such that some have purposes or “proper ends”, which are not reducible to any efficient-causal facts.  (A consequence:  it is false that any truth lacking an efficient causal explanation must thereby have no explanation whatsoever.)

 

Monism   There exists just one ontologically independent particular.
Of the many particulars in reality, there is just one that depends upon absolutely nothing for its existence; since nothing else would exist unless this unique particular did, it is not unreasonably called ‘God.’  (A consequence: it is false that a Godless account of reality is complete.)