The philosopher in the scanner (or: how can neuroscience contribute to social philosophy?)

Analytical philosophy has been challenged by experimental approaches that make use of, among other things, cognitive science methods. In this paper we illustrate the benefits of merging philosophy with neuroscience, using an example of research in the foundations of social science. We argue that designing novel experiments to answer specific philosophical questions has several advantages compared to relying passively on neuroscientists’ data. In this particular case, the data redirect attention towards topics – such as inductive reasoning – that are relatively overlooked by mainstream social neuroscience.