Disciplinary Bounds and Their Upkeep: A Framework to Capture Twentieth-Century Philosophy in Its Context

Based on insights from the history and sociology of science, I lay out a framework to describe the dynamics of academized twentieth-century philosophy in relation to its social and institutional context. Inspired by work from Steven Shapin and Andrew Abbott, this framework distinguishes between, on one hand, disciplinary bounds that guide philosophical actors in their practice and, on the other hand, the social institutions that stabilize and reproduce these bounds. With this framework, I argue, the historian of twentieth-century philosophy can ask better questions about the different social dynamics involved in the development of professional philosophy. To prove the potential fruitfulness of this framework, I discuss the emergence of philosophy of science as a distinct subdiscipline within professional American philosophy.