Modern
philosophizing recognizes no universals, no agreement as to facts, methods, or
experiences. There are clearly many different views of facts, many proposed
methods, many types of experiences to be found.
Philosophical fragmentation is the rule; hence attention has turned to the reasons for philosophical pluralism, and one of the reasons which has become increasingly obvious is the confessional character of metaphysical theories. Metaphysical theories differ because they are based upon different fundamental assumptions as to how the world goes, each one confessing its own version of what is the case. These assumptions may be held critically or uncritically and they may be changed through criticism and reflection, through the process of elaborating a consistent world view, or through harmonization of all the fragments of knowledge which seem well substantiated. However, at the end of the metaphysical quest the element of confession is still there. That it is still there is shown by the fact that competent philosophers disagree, after lifetimes of philosophical disputation.
Frank B. Dilley, Metaphysics and Religious Language (New York: Columbia Univ. Press, 1964), pp. 71-72.
Frank B. Dilley (b. 1931) has taught at Smith College and Milliken University, in Illinois. Since 1967 Dr. Dilley has been on the faculty of the University of Delaware as professor of philosophy. In addition to the aforementioned book, Dr. Dilley has written numerous articles for scholarly journals.