by Monique Barb

The failure of all thinkers of defining philosophy by a unique and complete sentence leads us to many suppositions. First of all, one may think that they do not know what philosophy is,although it exists for more than 2500 years, or that this concept is too complex to be enounced in a single definition. Another hypothese would be that of the existence of too many philosophical species and that each philosophy has its own definition. But a reasonable conclusion is that of having more different subjects gathered under the same name, a series of “philosophies” which cannot be either united or expressed by a single concept.

Aristotle said that there were 3 theoretical philosophies : mathematics, physics and theology. If his conception was right,it would be difficult to find a unique definition for all, a definition which could comprise the essence of all these subjects.

So we are compelled to conclude that we cannot find a distinct and general definition for the concept of philosophy, although we have so many philosophical works of art.

There are various definitions for this concept:

Kant said that philosophy was a rational knowledge through pure conceptions,the science of suppositions, of the conditions of knowledge and action and , in the same time, the system of philosophical knowledge.

He divides philosophy into:

1. the pure philosophy-knowledge through pure reason-“Erkenntnis aus reiner Vernunft”

2. the empirical philosophy-rational knowledge through empirical principles-“aus empirischen Prinzipien”

3. the philosophy of nature-which dealt with all that exists-“geht auf alles was da ist”

4. the philosophy of mores-which dealt with all that should be-“was da sein soll”

Schopenhauer said that philosophy was the science expressed into concepts, whose main attribute was to repeat the whole experience of the world into concepts(wiederholen), in an abstract, general and clear way.

For Herbart, philosophy is the processing of concepts. In exchange, the positivism gives up any expanatory character.

For A.Comte, philosophy is the entire system of human knowledge.
In Romania, the problem of the philosophical concept was the object of interest of well known thinkers, such as: Titu Maiorescu, whose definition of philosophy was “the hope to acquire wisdom”, Lucian Blaga, who thought that philosophy represented one basic human way to solve “what exists” and Constantin R.Matru, who believed it to be a conception of old truths in a new representation.

The philosophy appeared as an answer to people’s questions, such as:

What is existence?

What is the report between subjective and objective existence?

How are the beauty,the justice,the truth and the good valued ?

Which are the causes of human unhappiness on earth?

What is happiness?

Thus, philosophy tries to find answers about the human condition, the concept of human condition, the usual situations and the limits. In the same time, it helps man make a hierarchy of his world.

Philosophy helps man know himself,report himself to the social reality, form the conscience of his alterity-which is the conscience of the respect towards the ones he lives by.

Philosophy appeared during the Antiquity, first including knowledge from all domains, then separating the philosophical and the scientifical discourse.

Categories: Misc Madness, Deep Thoughts, Commentary