Speculative Philosophy through the Eyes of Analytical Philosophers

It is generally accepted, there is a deep chasm between continental and English-speaking philosophy. Early analytical philosophers declared a complete rejection of the speculative method, unconditionally linking its use with the inability of continental philosophers to solve the challenges humanity faces. The author argues that this position is outdated, and today English-speaking philosophy has a significant interest in the possibilities of using speculation to solve, among other things, the problems of ethics, epistemology and philosophy of science. The article aims to show the features of speculative philosophy from the point of view of the analytical school. The author examines this problem from both a historical-philosophical and a methodological point of view, choosing for analysis only the most influential works of English-speaking philosophers over the past 100 years. The author concludes that it is impossible to reduce the features of speculative philosophy to a single epistemological criterion or method – synthesis (synopsis). The author agrees with S. Crichley and L. Braver’s statement that the context and the belonging to one or another tradition predetermine the philosopher's choice of an analytic or speculative method.