Philosophy

The word philosophy indicate sometimes a theoretical discipline (philosophical work, run of philosophy...), sometimes a system of thought or beliefs (philosophy Confucianist, philosophy Marxist...), sometimes, in a more familiar way, a state of mind ("So-and-so showed philosophy"). This last direction of the word is closer to the concept of wisdom that of that of philosophy.

Synopsis

General

As a theoretical discipline, system of thought or more generally, as an activity and a product of the spirit, philosophy is conceived like a questioning paradoxical : although directed towards the research of truth and universal, it takes place in conscience not to be able to reach this ultimate degree of knowledge. Philosophy, contrary to sciences nature, do not generate immutable truths. It does nothing but help the man to include/understand itself through intellectual advance which proves less profitable by its results than by its existence even and its methods. For the Austrian philosopher Karl Popper, the true philosophical problem is that which generates new problems.

The absence of philosophical truths holds with the insoluble character of the problems that philosophy approaches. These problems are articulated around concepts, i.e. of theoretical objects allowing to question and handle in the abstraction, by the means of logical bonds, elements of the human experiment. The concepts with the c?ur of the questionings and theories philosophical are, inter alia:

The philosophical interrogation most traditional consists in being seized of a word usually employed but whose direction appears vague and complex, and to try to seize contours of the concepts which it indicates. "What the man?", "What justice?", "What knowledge", etc, are typically philosophical questionings.

However philosophy is spread in an infinity of problems and of under problems which do not relate to only single concepts but also of the articulations of concepts or research of principles of thought and action. It knows many subdivisions among which one can quote metaphysics, morals or itethics, political philosophy, philosophy of knowledge, epistemology, the philosophy ofart or esthetics, etc.

If philosophy sticks mainly to eternal problems, it is not therefore static. Indeed, it nourishes reality, evolution of the companies and advance of sciences. The changes of the world are the occasion of a permanent renewal of the philosophical questioning.


Representation of the Middle Ages, philosophy and liberal arts

Etymology

philosophy (philosophy-sophia, ?????????) is itlove or taste of knowledge, wisdom, knowledge, of the Greek philein (to like), and sophia (knowledge, to know, wisdom). The word is thus interpreted like "searches wisdom or knowledge", the verb philein being able to have not only the smell ofto like, but also that to appreciate or of to seek. In this direction, the philosopher opposes sophist (with the pejorative direction given by Plato), who already claims to hold sophia, or with believing of the various religions.

Diogène Laërce, in its Life of the philosophers affirm that with regard to philosophy them Greeks would have invented not only the thing, but also the word.

This word, according to certain sources, would have been forged by Pythagore, who refused to regard himself as one wise (sophos) because possession of knowledge, IE. the knowledge of the principles and causes of the human and divine things, is the privilege of gods. It preferred being called "in love with knowledge" (philosophos), i.e. in love with divine realities. Before Pythagore, one called sophoi those which sought to know divine and human realities, without this word being pejorative. There is thus, at the origin of philosophy, on a side those which one calls them wise (Thalès de Milet, etc.), and other those which were called philosophical.

The etymology teaches us thus at least two things:

  • On the one hand, philosophy relates to knowledge initially, it is a mental activity which consists in cultivating its faculties and to acquire a sight as objective as possible world; traditional or modern philosophy confirms that.
  • in addition, philosophy has also a finality morals and practical: it is one art of living, and the philosopher who lives according to reason, according to a traditional design of morals, endeavour to live into wise and to follow it well to reach it happiness by the means ofataraxie. One measures badly today the importance of this art of living which often made compare the philosopher to a mortal god, with an alive god among men (it is the case, for example, among philosophers as different as Plato, Aristote, Epicure and Sénèque). This practical aspect evolved/moved considerably, and is studied today in political philosophy, in philosophy of the action and in ethics.

Specificity of philosophy

A good method to determine the direction of a concept can be to seek what this concept is not. However, science, philosophy, myths and religions have triple ambition commune : to describe, to explain, to justify. It is thus important to examine in what they are distinguished.

Philosophy, myths and religion

myth and philosophy have a common point: they are coherent explanations of the world. The myth is a fabulous account which describes the origin of the world, of the man, company. The philosophers also wonder about these problems. But there are differences:

  • philosophy wants to be founded on a rational knowledge; the myth is by contrast marvellous, unexplainable even because of causes that he calls upon, like forces supernatural;
  • philosophy supposes that one does not adhere to one doctrines by only faith and even less by superstition; belief with myth fact economy of the concept of proof, or into present which does not involve a universal conviction (if not one does not considèrerait it any more like myth, but - wrongly or rightly - as reality);
  • philosophy seeks to explain them phenomena observed by natural causes; the myth often resorts to supernatural explanations.

Philosophy and science

When it is a question of the relationship of philosophy with sciences, philosophy is usually described as " mother of all sciences ". This optics concerns a consideration as forhistory of the ideas, where philosophy to some extent seems a place of emulation, clean with the emergence of disciplines called to acquire their autonomy. Thus, for example, it is noticed that whereasIsaac Newton still indicated its work under the name of philosophy (its Master works 1687 carrying the title of Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica), the developments in this field belong now to the field of physics. In the same way, to evoke only some additional examples, they is work and research in philosophy which are resulting, at the end of XIXE century, disciplines like sociology and psychology ; just like gerontology is, as for it, forged as a discipline (being attached now partly to psychology) only in second half of XXE century, under the impulse of work and research in philosophy.

Does that mean in so far as philosophy would be only the stammering of sciences? What it would be to some extent only one manner of indicating the disciplines "not having succeeded yet"? There is of course several theoretical positions in this respect, but before being even delayed there, it should be noted that an attention in the mediums of fundamental research reveals that... (continuation in the detailed article Philosophy and science).

Origin of philosophy

Why and how of the men they were put at philosophy? What means the appearance of philosophy in the human history, and can one affirm that certain civilizations were more concerned with constitute a philosophical speech than others?

It may be that the need for intellectual exploration is related to a desire common to mammals predatory and with all them primates to know as deeply as they can it their environment. But by explaining the origin of philosophy (and consequently its requirements of rationality or wisdom, for example) from such a point of view, one sticks to an explanatory level in terms strictly motivationnels - genetic, neurobiologic, etc. –, generally applicable to the human activities. It more profitable Appert, for a comprehension of the philosophical activity itself, to examine its advent rather by recalling the broad outline of its historical origin, as well as interpretations of its origins in properly philosophical terms.

The historical origin of philosophy is badly known. It is generally considered that the first philosopher is Thalès de Milet, but it philosopher nature was perhaps of origin phenician, and its knowledge would thus let suppose one tradition philosophical good older. What is certain, it is that philosophy is born under the influence from Egyptian science (geometry), knowledge phenician (arithmetic), and of varied religious currents, come for example from Mésopotamie and India. Well of other influences were supposed, but it is as a whole very difficult to make the share of the things. It should be also noticed that the first philosophers... (continuation in the detailed article origin of philosophy).

Three designs of philosophy

It is possible to distinguish from what precedes three designs by philosophy:

  • a reflexive part of philosophy: the exercise of the reason as an activity of evaluation and criticism of the arguments;
  • a philosophical knowledge: by the determination of concepts and mental tools to include/understand the man and the world;
  • a practical part, wisdom, who must make the unit of thinking and acting it (ofunderstanding and of will);

Critical of philosophy

Philosophy was criticized as of its birth. Some criticize are external with the philosophical speech (for example, critics of the common direction), others are internal for him (critical philosophers between them). But very critical can be the subject of a philosophical examination; one cannot conceive philosophy without criticism besides.

See detailed article: Critical of philosophy

Articles of philosophy

Note : if you wish to take part in the drafting of articles of philosophy, please consult Wikipédia:ProjectPhilosophy, project which must allow a coordination of the efforts of the writers.

See the detail of the articles: Wikipédia:Gate philosophy

Call with contributions

If you have knowledge to make divide, and that you wish to write with more freedom, you can:

  • to write teaching texts, introductions, etc. in Wikilivres ;
  • to place in your memories or theses.

Appendices

General bibliography


Run of philosophy

Dictionaries, encyclopaedias

  • Philosophical vocabulary, Armand Cuvillier
  • Technical and critical vocabulary of philosophy, Andre Lalande
  • Concepts of philosophy, under the direction of Denis Kambouchner (panorama of great concepts)
  • Universal Philosophical Encyclopaedia in six volumes under the direction of Andre Jacob - éd.PUF (1992)
  • Vocabulary European of Philosophies - Dictionary of the Untranslatable one under the direction of Barbara Cassin - éd.Threshold It Robert (2004)

History

  • History of philosophy, Emile Bréhier (P.U.F.)
  • History of philosophy, François Châtelet
  • Large philosophers, Karl Jaspers
  • History of philosophy, Y. Belaval (Gallimard).

Method

  • Philosophical methodology, J.J. Wunenburger and D. Folscheid
  • Introduction to the techniques of philosophical - the idea of justice, G. Boss (Great Midday)

External bonds relating to philosophy

See too

Gate Philosophy - Reach the articles of Wikipédia concerning philosophy.

 

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