Philosophy or Generation’s Intellectual and Moral Depth and Diversity
In “Connections to the World” first chapter The History of Philosophy, Arthur Danto claims that philosophy lacks continuity and claims that it seems as if each step forward demands the reinvention of philosophy as a whole, relinquishment of all that was prior, including all previous steps.
Though the claim makes total sense from specific points of view and I can’t say that he didn’t consider or entertain the idea I’m going to present, I’d like to develop on Danto’s idea and add more depth to it.
It seems to me that Danto’s claim can’t be called false as it indeed seems that philosophy lacks continuity due to its nature, the questions it handles and methods applied in the process. Because philosophy is conducted by the human mind that is subjective and deals with morals, ethics and all that is abstract and dynamic without any objective values or measurements – it does seem to resemble a closed circle. Nevertheless the same can be said about culture and its history. Just like philosophy, culture deals with a similar set of abstract and subjective things that do seem to move somewhere, yet when looked at in retrospect, seem to resemble the same old things in a different coat. Though a closed circle is a simple enough analogy, it doesn’t do justice to the subject and should be developed on.
Seemingly philosophy is more like a dynamic spiral that passes the same checkpoints as it goes through its cycles. Each lap it encounters the same questions and problems, yet slightly differently. With each lap, some things fall off as no longer relevant and get replaced by new things, which in turn can change the subjective direction of the spiral, as well as expand or narrow its course. In very simple terms the same can be said about culture. As each culture possesses similar phenomena like literature, art, ideology etc. that each generation puts a new spin on. Seemingly each period or movement can give a new direction to the local and global culture and philosophy at hand and as societies grow more complex, the same spirals become more complex and philosophies and cultures attain more depth of flavour.
So as cultural eras reflect views, values, problems and aspirations of the people of their time and what was built and invented with the means at hand. So does philosophy, but in a more abstract and intellectual direction. What art/culture have in common with philosophy here, is that they all offer critique of their time, views on the same old existential questions and their outlook on what is yet to come into existence.
Here we come to an important point. Constant reinvention of philosophy is inevitable and more importantly it’s an essential part of its existence. As our societies become more complex, so do our moral values. As that happens, we are bound to revisit our past through studies of history, art and culture – which allows us to reflect and preferably improve. Philosophical studies essentially allow us to do the same thing. Studies allow us to revisit the ideas of previous thinkers and make our own conclusions. All that is great, yet there are people who create art, invent new tools and revisit methods – the same needed in the field of philosophy.
Each generation needs its philosophers and those philosophers need to not only revisit the past and engage in philosophical studies, but also redefine the same old problems, develop on them and propose new directions and approaches. As things escalate and subjective time moves onwards, we make new discoveries and technological advances, which allow us to gain more clarity and insight into things. In turn allowing us to redefine those questions and problems. All that allows us to adopt new approaches and methods, which will most definitely allow us to move forward in our search for answers. That in itself doesn’t give us any guarantees that any answers will be found, but it opens up the opportunity for new questions, ideas and as a result new discoveries to arise.
Reinvention of philosophy by each generation is necessary as it allows critical thinking and public discourse to thrive and develop. It allows each generation to redefine and develop on meanings, ideas and problems and find modern and relevant approaches to old and constantly rising new questions. Continuous reinvention of philosophy will allow each generation to have a foundation, yet also make it more accessible to a wider audience through use of modern language as well as updated meanings of used words.
I would also add that right now is the best time in history to engage in philosophical discussions primarily because of how connected we’ve become and secondarily because now we have access to modern sciences as well as data that’s been collected over the recent decades.Not only is the foundation of philosophy more accessible than ever before, the majority of works of previous thinkers can be accessed and discussed over our smartphones.
Side note: Though it should be obvious, considering current socio political climate, I think it is also worth mentioning that it is crucial to remain reasonably skeptical, to dare to criticise and to entertain even the most outlandish ideas if necessary or desired.
Author: Alex
I’ve spend a decade working in advertising, social media and cultural industries, which have given me great insights into what’s going on behind the scenes.