Kingston Philosophy Café

It looks like a bad idea to argue in a circle. You cannot use the conclusion of an argument to support the premises you started from. When Descartes got caught arguing in a circle, his argument for the existence of God was in big trouble. Richard Baron will claim that circular arguments are not as bad as they look. We should avoid them in physics and chemistry, but we should welcome them in subjects like history. And when we use them, that does not undermine the value of the conclusions we draw.

Richard Baron teaches philosophy at the Mary Ward Centre in London. He has written two books, one on ethics and one on free will. You can find out more about his work at http://www.rbphilo.com.