Philosophy: In defense of the narrow conception

This paper claims that what philosophy primarily does is interpret our notions, offer ways of understanding these notions that are not scientific in nature but not contrary to science either. The paper draws a distinction between conceptual analysis, a highly constrained enterprise that is supposed to bring to light what was in the concept all along, and the interpretation of notions, a creative enterprise that offers ways of understanding notions that were not already prefigured by the content of these notions-philosophy consists in the latter, not the former. It explains how these interpretations are justified and what the difference is between better and worse interpretations. The remainder of the paper is organized around three headings: philosophy and science, philosophy and language, and philosophy and progress. It claims that in philosophy there is no real progress, but that philosophy does move forward because the notions at issue are endlessly interpretable.

Syzetesis, 2023

Disputatio, 2008

2022

In spite of the unprecedented nowadays communication involving the philosophers worldwide, it appears that there is still no consensus about the definition of the philosophy. While quite practical extracts addressing that issue can be found in sources such as Wikipedia and the Free Dictionary, these are somewhat blurred by the differences in the tendencies of different authors to focus on some of themes, while neglecting the others. For example, some authors concentrate on the psychological aspects such as aesthetics and ethics while the others put more emphasis on the nature and the ultimate significance of the universe. Although one can at the intersects of these trends recognise that the philosophers converge to studying of most general and fundamental questions about our relation with the world, a formal widely adopted definition seems to be still missing.

2018

In the history of philosophy there exists a clear continuity regarding investigation of the epistemic conditions of understanding and explanation of reality. Herein lies philosophy's essentially metaphysical character – and the reason why metaphysics continues to comprise an indispensable constituent of philosophizing and a philosophical approach to life. Drawing on selected paradigms from classic works from the history of philosophy, we focus on metaphysics of subjectivity as fundamental philosophical discourse of modernity, which finds its archetypal expression in Kant's conception of the unity of self-consciousness (transcendental unity of apperception), as precondition for our understanding and explanation of objectivity and the world of our experience. This opens a range of possibilities for innovative analysis of the metaphysical character of philosophy.

2011

Analysis

Abstract: In this paper I challenge modern philosophy’s self-conception as an absolute critique (i.e., a critique of everything/anything). I argue that such a conception is not only misconceived, it is also ideological in character. Looking back to its origins, I develop a genealogy of modern philosophy’s self-understanding in order to deconstruct it and disassociate it from possible alternative conceptions of philosophy, arguing for a more modest conception of philosophy as a subject which provides tools for developing human powers of reflection.

International Journal of Current Advanced Research, 2017

Philosophy is considered the mother of all the other disciplines because of the generality and vastness of its subject matter in contrast to other forms of human inquiry. People talk of philosophy without understanding its role in educational research, particularly its significant contribution to all the other disciplines. It is worth noting that there is nothing in the universe that does not concern or interest philosophy hence philosophical enterprise is essentially the application of reasoning to a wide variety of topics. It is therefore of paramount importance to highlight the important role that philosophy plays in other fields of study in that every discipline raises questions which philosophical investigation can help clarify. Because of the complexity of the world we live in, our efforts to comprehend it are just as diverse. Besides, our different aspirations, interests and activities factor in our endeavor to understand the world and these aspirations and interests find expressions in various fields of study such as history, law, theology, education, economics, political science etc. Although these fields of study play an important role in our lives generally and in our endeavours to comprehend the world specifically, one cannot divorce them from philosophy. How can this be demonstrated? Given the unrestricted nature of the subject matter of philosophy, one can say that philosophy is an attempt to understand the world, its meaning and values. It examines rationally the fundamental problems affecting man and the world in which he lives. Its field is broad and inclusive. While using the facts and descriptive material presented by other specialized fields of study, philosophy goes beyond description to inquire into the nature, the values and the possibilities of things. Its goal is inclusive, comprehension and wisdom. That notwithstanding, philosophy cannot do without the results of other disciplines. It constantly interrogates and assesses the subject matters of the various fields of inquiry with a view of coming up with a conception of the universe that is coherent and systematic. This paper therefore aims at highlighting the contribution of philosophy to other fields of study such that questions and issues raised in every disciplineare addressed in a fundamental and comprehensive manner.Every domain of human existence confronts us with problems on which philosophical reflection can shed light.

Journal of Humanities and Social Studies, 2016

The aim of this paper is to examine the nature, scope and importance of philosophy in the light of its relation to other disciplines. This work pays its focus on the various fundamental problems of philosophy, relating to Ethics, Metaphysics, Epistemology Logic, and its association with scientific realism. It will also highlight the various facets of these problems and the role of philosophers to point out the various issues relating to human issues. It is widely agreed that philosophy as a multi-dimensional subject that shows affinity to others branches of philosophy like, Philosophy of Science, Humanities, Physics and Mathematics, but this paper also seeks, a philosophical nature towards the universal problems of nature. It evaluates the contribution and sacrifices of the great sages of philosophers to promote the clarity and progress in the field of philosophy.