Transcript EEN WERELD VOL HYBRIDEN

TWENTIETH CENTURY PHILOSOPHY:
An introduction to the lectures
1. MYTHOS AND LOGOS
What is philosophy?
2. JERUZALEM AND ATHENS
Where is philosophy localized?
3. THEORY AND PRACTICE
How do philosophers act?
1. MYTHOS AND LOGOS
WISDOM AND LOVE
Philosophy > love of wisdom (philo = love;
sophia = wisdom).
Philosophers start to replace a mythological
narrative by a scientific narrative.
Disenchantment of the world.
Philosophy as the mother of the sciences.
THE LONESOME MOTHER
 Metaphysics > (from the Greek metá (= beyond) and
physiká (physical)) the investigation of principles of
reality that transcend those of the particular sciences.
 The relation to the sciences, religion and art is still a point
of discussion.
 Focus on the truth, the good and the beauty.
 Kant formulated three questions to describe his
philosophical interests:
1. What can I know?
2. What must I do?
3. What may I hope?
PHILOSOPHICAL SUBDISCIPLINES
1. Ethics.
2. Philosophy of Art.
3. Philosophy of Mind.
4. Philosophy of Religion.
5. Political Philosophy.
6. Philosophy of Law.
7. Philosophy of Science.
8. Social Philosophy.
9. Philosophical Anthropology.
10. Philosophy of Language.
2. JERUZALEM AND ATHENS
TEXTS AND CONTEXTS
In order to understand philosophers we have
to consider in which contexts they
work(ed).
Philosophers have two interests:
1. A historical interest.
2. A systematic interest.
Philosophical theories transcend specific
contexts > reiteration is important.
TWO SOURCES OF WESTERN
THOUGHT
1. JERUZALEM > monotheism >
ontological discontinuity.
2. ATHENS > philosophy > ontological
continuity.
LOCALIZED KNOWLEDGE
JERUZALEM
ATHENS
STARTING
POINT
ONTOLOGY
Fear of the Lord
Amazement
No issue
Issue
MORALITY
The knowledge of
what is good and bad is
embodied by those
who believe in God.
The knowledge of
what is good and
bad is the outcome
of moral reasoning.
3. THEORY AND PRACTICE
TOP-DOWN PHILOSOPHY
Philosophers where a long time mainly
interested in theories.
Self-perception: the top-down dispersion of
theoretical knowledge.
Ordinary practice should be guided by
independently maintained beliefs.
FROM DISPERSION TO
TRANSLATION
The philosophical scene changed in the 19th and
20th century: from dispersion to translation.
Practice is the starting point of philosophical
reflection.
Four philosophical movements are responsible
for this radical change:
1. Marxism.
2. Existentialism.
3. Pragmatism.
4. Ordinary language philosophy.
THE THREAD OF THE
LECTURES
1. What concept of philosophy do the heroes
of twentieth century philosophy have?
2. Which key themes do these heroes
discuss?
3. How do they relate theory and practice?
BEYOND INSTRUMENTAL
REASON
Dominant way of dealing with knowledge >
knowledge as a mean to attain a goal.
Philosophy embodies an erotic way of
dealing with knowledge > to understand
something is in itself great!
Philosophers try to get beyond instrumental
reason.