Philosophy is of great importance for modern society. Each person, probably, at least once in his life thought about who he was and why he was born. The existence of humanity itself is meaningless without philosophical thinking. Without realizing it, the individual becomes part of it. Reasoning about life and death leads to the fact that humanity is increasingly immersed in a philosophical essence. And what is philosophy? Few can give a clear answer.
Since ancient times, man has been interested in life after death. He believed in its existence, as well as in the fact that the soul is reborn and takes on a different look. This is evidenced by various archaeological finds associated with the burial of people.
Concept of philosophy
Life on earth cannot exist without philosophy. The formation of personality depends on its worldview concepts, which is observed in philosophical thinking. Questions about the origin of the world, the existence of God, the appointment of objects have always worried a person. The reasoning associated with them, and determine the main meaning of ideology.
What is a philosophy? This is a question that has existed for a long time, and it cannot be answered unambiguously. His study was carried out by many philosophers who differently understood the meaning of what is happening in the world. At present, understanding everything that is happening is impossible without studying the foundations of philosophy. What place does this teaching take in the world?
The essence of philosophy is cognition and a comprehensive study of its concept. And what is invested in it? The concept of philosophy is multifaceted and covers many aspects of life. Translated from Greek, it means "love of truth, knowledge of wisdom." The very definition of philosophy is dry and does not give a clear understanding of it. Under this science it is necessary to understand a person’s thought aimed at:
- Acceptance of the awareness of the world, its purpose, the connection of humanity and nature, the relationship between the individual and the whole world.
- The solution of issues related to life on earth, and the knowledge of the meaning of the world.
- Knowledge of the essence of nature, for example, how a tree grows, why the sun shines.
- Awareness of morality, values, the relationship of society and thinking.
Cognition of the world, its existence, the formation of ideas about nature and man, the relationship between the state and the individual are the primary problems of philosophy.
Philosophy never stands still. Her followers are in constant search of a new, immense, unexplored, multifaceted. Its purpose is to give life meaning to man. Having comprehended the basic knowledge, the individual becomes enlightened, more open. Everyday problems and everyday life will seem like a piece that does not mean anything. The main directions of philosophy is the knowledge of the material and spiritual world. The thirst for knowledge, the desire to realize, study the unknown, existed at all times. And the more answers people received, the more questions arose again. Now distinguish the basic methods of philosophy. These include: dialectics, metaphysics, dogmatism, eclecticism, sophistry, hermeneutics.
The knowledge of philosophy is the realization of all that is human. Man has been trying to find the essence and subject of being for many centuries, starting from ancient times. Now it is customary to distinguish four epochs of philosophy: ancient medieval, new and new.
Philosophy as part of the history of mankind
There is no exact date when philosophical thinking appeared. As early as 4 millennium BC, the first steps in his knowledge were visible. At this time, writing began in Egypt and Mesopotamia. In the notes found by archaeologists, scientists deciphered the records used by ancient people in economic fields. Already here a man tried to understand the meaning of life.
According to some reports, the history of philosophy originates from the Ancient Near East, India and China. They are its ancestors. The development of an understanding of life evolved gradually. The peoples of different communities did not develop evenly. Some already had their own written language and language, while others still communicated with a gesture system. The worldview of the peoples of the Middle East, India and China was different and they took each life in their own way.
Ancient Greek philosophers who lived in Asia Minor were familiar with the economics, religion, and other knowledge of the eastern peoples, which prevented us from finding the correct and uniform path to their view of life. Most of all they were knocked down by various myths that existed at that time, which came from the concepts of the Middle Eastern people. But, gradually rejecting them, people, the founders of ancient philosophy, began to form their worldview, knowledge of nature and phenomena. The meaning of life, the purpose of each became more and more interesting. The first philosophers began to search for answers, but, in the end, there were only more questions.
In the period from 3 to 2 millennium BC, ancient philosophy began to develop rapidly. This was due to the fact that a division of labor appeared. Each person began to engage in certain activities. In the process of cognition of the world, works were written that led to the emergence of such sciences as mathematics, mechanics, geometry, and medicine. Religious concept, rites and cults, mythological faith did not leave the people. The priests explained the appearance of mankind as “the will of God." Man associated all life processes with the existence of no one mythical supreme deity.
Jainism and Buddhism
Starting from the middle of the 1st millennium BC, there is a gradual stratification of the people. Some become in power, others become wage workers. Crafts, industry is developing. In this regard, there is a need for new knowledge. The philosophical understanding of the Vedic image no longer corresponded to the life of the people. The first scientific schools of Jainism and Buddhism appeared.
The Jain teachings were founded by the Indian philosopher Mahavir Vardhaman, who lived around the 6th century BC. The material and spiritual side of the personality became the founding principles of Jainism. The belief that there is a line between agiva and jiva defined the concept of karma. Jainists believed that karma directly depends on the actions and feelings of a person. A good person will be reborn forever, while an evil soul will leave this world in agony. Everyone can influence objects with the power of their thoughts. God in Jain doctrine is not the creator of the world, but a soul who has been freed and is in eternal rest. Followers thought that pure karma would bring anyone into the same state.
Jain doctrine distinguishes two directions:
- Digambar, whose followers did not wear clothes and rejected all worldly things.
- Shvetambar, whose followers had more moderate views, and instead of nudity preferred a white robe.
Jainism is not uprooted. Currently, his followers live and preach in India.
Buddhism appeared in the 6th century BC, founded by Siddhartha Gautama. For a long time, Buddhist teaching existed in words and was passed from mouth to mouth. It implied the existence of suffering, which can be eliminated by attaining the noble truth in its four manifestations.
- Suffering is given to man because of his agony, thirst for worldly joys.
- The causes of suffering will be eliminated if thirst is abandoned.
- The way to get rid of suffering is to adopt eight rules (to reason, make decisions, speak, live, strive, focus, focus).
- Worldly life and pleasures are rejected.
Subsequently, the Buddhists began to call the cause of all worldly troubles not thirst, but ignorance, misunderstanding of a person of his essence and purpose.
Philosophy IV - XIV centuries
Since the fourth century AD, the history of philosophy has entered a new era. At this time, man began to believe in God, to consider him something incomprehensible and invisible. Every year, Christianity strengthened the love of God, faith in the salvation of the soul. Man was no longer a slave, freedom was his main goal, explaining the divine philosophical thinking.
In the period of medieval philosophy, the question of the relationship of God and man was one of the main. A man thought about his role in life, why he was born, what is his purpose, and how to live in order to save his soul. People never knew how the world happened - due to the evolution and development of nature, or some creator is the creator of all life on earth.
Assumptions were built about the divine will and its intentions. A person is confident that the creator will not tolerate an evil and unclean soul. He punishes anyone who does not live according to the laws of Christianity. His patience - a sign of rationality and generosity - was explained by the creator's love for his children.
The philosophy of the Middle Ages is divided into two successive stages: patristic and scholastic.
Patristics began in approximately the first century AD. It is characterized by a gradual transition from ancient understandings to more modern, medieval ones. The followers tried to understand the teachings of Christ, to decipher the message of the ancestors, which was contained in the Bible.
One of the philosophers of that time was St. Augustine, who believed that society was in a constant struggle between the two sides. The first, earthly, was characterized by egoism, self-love, the second, heavenly, by love of God, faith in its existence and in the salvation of the soul. He taught that comprehension of knowledge does not require the study of scientific books and techniques, just one faith.
The period of scholasticism leads to more reasonable principles of philosophy. It falls on the X - XIV centuries of our era. Its founder can be considered Thomas Aquinas, who lived from 1235 to 1274. It was he who first introduced the concept of realistic philosophy. He believed that faith and reason should be interconnected, and not reject each other. He did not renounce religion, but tried to explain the appearance of the world from a scientific point of view.
Scholasticism was the beginning of the emergence of an era of new philosophy.
Renaissance
The Renaissance was the beginning of a period of new philosophy. At this time, industry, production rapidly developed. The knowledge of the world was not in heavenly, but in material expression. Now it has become necessary to study the branches of life. A man received knowledge about space, mathematics, physics and other natural sciences.
One of the first philosophers to suggest human dominance over nature was Francis Bacon. He believed that it was necessary to obtain knowledge about the real and scientific reasons for the appearance of all life on earth. How a tree grows, why the sun shines on the sky, why the water is wet - these are the main questions to which he gave an explanation with the help of his knowledge, but not based on assumptions about the possibility of knowledge in religion. Despite this, he was a religious person, but could separate spirituality from truth and reason.
The English philosopher of modern times Thomas Hobbes assumed the existence of God only as a creator who is not related to the real existence of people. The main feature of philosophy was the man himself, and not his features, for example, height, weight, gender, appearance. The individual was part of the state.
A more realistic philosopher of the new era was Rene Descartes, who not only rejected the existence of a deity, but also explained the origin of the world on earth with the help of mechanistic representations. He believed that the human soul is an activity of his brain, which is why thought has become one of the components of his existence. Descartes was a realist, rationalist, and to some extent an analyst.
The development of the philosophy of modern times is explained by the fact that America was discovered at that time, Newton comprehended his first laws, mathematics became one of the fundamental knowledge of man.
The era of modern philosophy
Starting from the 15th century, philosophy took on a completely different look. The Bunden school appears, which focused on the social and humanitarian problems of philosophy. There is a separation into natural, scientific knowledge of laws, and historical - knowledge of the soul and events.
Karl Marx first described the relationship of social philosophy with politics. He was a realistic thinker who based his assumptions on the study of the methods of Hegel and Feuerbach.
The latest philosophy exists to the present. Now it has become not a part of religious knowledge, but more of a scientific one. Man is seen as a mysterious unknown creature whose thoughts are unknown to anyone. What is a person capable of, what is his purpose in life? These questions can be answered with the help of analytical thinking, scientific knowledge, consistent assumptions of the development of mankind.
At the beginning of the 20th century, modern philosophy was born. She had her own characteristics in the variety of problems studied by her, as well as the presence of many of its forms.
The main problems of the philosophy of the twentieth time was the study of issues related to a deeper knowledge of humanity.
- Why was a man born, what should he do now, why couldn’t he appear in another body, how should he live and what should he direct his energy and abilities to?
- Studying global issues: why do people fight, why do diseases occur, how to overcome eternal hunger?
- Questions related to history: the emergence of life, its course, why the world is not the same as before, what influenced it?
- Natural issues related to the study of languages, subjects of science, rational knowledge.
Twentieth century philosophical schools
The philosophy of the twentieth century was characterized by the emergence of many schools that had different attitudes to the issues of being. Thus, neopositivism had three waves of its appearance, the first of which occurred at the end of the nineteenth century, and the last in the thirties of the twentieth century. Its main characteristic was that the followers shared science and philosophy. All knowledge must be confirmed, and the thought should be far from them.
The followers of existentialism believed that the tragedy of man and his disappointment stems from the fact that he can not understand himself. The knowledge of philosophy occurs in a situation of life and death, when a person is in danger. A person should not be guided by reason, he should submit to thinking.
The founder of phenomenology was E. Husserl, who separated philosophy from science. His teachings were based on knowledge of the phenomena occurring in the world. Their origin and significance were the main issues revealed by the philosopher. You can not rely on the mind and reason to reveal them.
Pragmatism appeared in the United States of America. It was characterized by the fact that a person should not study natural sciences, if this is not necessary. The knowledge of philosophy is impossible with the application of science, sociology, principles of morality, and so on.
The teachings of the twentieth-century Catholic Church — neo-Thomism — resembled medieval knowledge of the philosophical thinking of the Scholastic period. The interconnection of religion, soul and material understanding are in constant interconnection.
Philosophical hermeneutics adopted the theory of knowledge of language, writing, human creations. Why and why is this happening, as it appeared, the main issues addressed by followers?
In the thirties of the twentieth century, the Frankfurt school appeared, which suggested the dominance of man over man. Her followers opposed Hegel's legacy, since they considered his works to be a denial of reality.
Structuralism, which appeared in 1960, gradually grew into philosophical thinking. The main feature of philosophy was the understanding of the relationship of the object and its relation to it. He completely rejects history because it does not have an appropriate structure.
Postmodernism appeared at the end of the twentieth century and has become the most popular in the present period. It is based on the theory of knowing that a person does not see, but it seems to him what is called a simulacrum. Followers believed that the world was in constant chaos. If there is order, then it is necessary to free oneself from the thoughts and meaning of what is happening, then a person will be able to comprehend the philosophical thinking of postmodernism.
Personalism - this is the direction of philosophy that appeared at the end of the twentieth century, due to the relationship of God and man. A person is nothing but the highest value of the world, and the existence of God is the supremacy over all that is human.
Freudianism and neo-Freudianism were characterized by the study of the meaningless.Philosophical thinking appeared on the basis of psychological analysis, when a person’s actions were explained by psychological analysis. Neo-Freudianism rejected the influence on human behavior of its physiological feelings, such as sexual thinking, hunger, cold, and so on.
Russian philosophy
The domestic philosophy of man originates from two sources - Christianity and paganism. The influence of Byzantine culture led to the rooting of certain traditions, such as Neoplatonism, rationalism and asceticism.
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Also in Russia there was a concept that proclaimed Russian Orthodoxy and the Tsar above all else.
V. I. Ulyanov made a great contribution to the subject of philosophy. He developed the theory of Marxism and founded the theory of reflection, which consisted in the study of the problems of truth and truth.
In the twenties there was a great debate about the importance of the natural sciences and the functions of philosophy. In 1970, there was a need to develop methods and logic of cognition of philosophy. The fall of Marxism occurred during the period of perestroika, beginning in 1985. The main issue was the comprehension of the phenomena of modern life.
Philosophical doctrine in the modern world
What is philosophy in the modern world? Again, the answer is not so simple. Philosophy and man are in constant relationship. The existence of one without the other is impossible. The study of the role of philosophy in modern society is structured. It consists in a person studying his thoughts, natural processes, material objects.
Cognition of human philosophy led to the identification of four main areas of study: the philosophy of freedom, body, position and death.
The philosophy of freedom is a person’s knowledge of certain prejudices that deprive the individual of his right to be alienated and distant from anything. According to her, a person is never free, because she cannot live without society. For a reason for action to appear, motivation is necessary, but in fact, reason cannot be the reason for a person’s choice. What he does not manage to do, to achieve, does not bind his hands, does not make him a slave to the situation, but may be the reason for the restriction of his freedom. The past of a person should not affect his present and future life. He learns from mistakes and tries not to make them anymore. He is free from beliefs, from God. No one can impose his point of view on him, force him to choose the religion to which he does not belong. All his freedoms lie in the ability to choose and have his own interest, which never contradicts the essence and spiritual personality.
The philosophy of the body is characterized by the fact that the physical shell of a person is directly dependent on his thoughts and soul. So that he does not want to commit, that is, express his desire, will, it is necessary to carry out actions that cannot be applied without the existence of the body. The body is not a defense of the soul, but serves as its assistant. It explains the relationship between philosophy and nature, reality.
Philosophical positions are a variety of forms of philosophy. At all times, its existence has been an integral part of life. But each period of time was characterized by the fact that philosophers made assumptions that had great differences from each other. Each of them had his own position and understood the philosophical meaning according to the teaching that he preached or developed.
The philosophy of death is one of the main directions of philosophy, since the study of the essence of man and the soul leads to the question of the existence of spiritual death. Of course, everyone knows that the body is not a priority for studying the issues of philosophy, but physical death makes you think about its existence, as something inexplicable and incomprehensible.
A question that has been exciting for many generations is immortality. It is philosophy designed to solve it. Religion and attitude towards God makes it possible to explain the existence of various forms of eternal life.
The relationship between philosophy and man is explained by the fact that he is constantly looking for answers to questions about the need for his appearance on earth, his purpose. No individual has yet managed to find answers to all his questions. Perhaps this is the point. After all, when a person runs out of questions, he will no longer be interested in destiny, a place in life, the meaning of being. Then everything will lose its meaning.
Philosophy and Science
Currently, philosophy and science are in close interconnection. An explanation of scientific facts that do not lend themselves to common sense is possible only through reasoning and accepting that the unusual exists.
The existence of scientific philosophy is determined by the fact that it is part of life. When writing scientific papers, a person always comes to comprehension, reasoning, and philosophical thought. Philosophy itself is a science. It is interconnected with mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy. She analyzes the logical appearance of things and explains this.
The doctrine of ethics, axiology, culture, social aspects of life - all this leads to the emergence of the concept of scientific philosophy. But the complete interconnection of scientific facts and philosophy was proved by the followers of the twentieth century.
On the one hand, it seems that science should in no way concern philosophy, since the latter considers the existence of God when the former denies this. But it is impossible to explain some scientific facts without adopting the methods by which cognition and enlightenment take place.
The subject of philosophy is studying society, which affects science. After all, the creation of new technologies, the invention of something is impossible without human participation, and these actions are a scientific product. And vice versa, science has an impact on society. So, for example, the appearance of computers, phones affected the modern life of a person, his habits and characteristics of cognition.
What is a philosophy? This is part of life without which the existence of humanity would be in jeopardy, due to a lack of thinking. Philosophy is interconnected with many areas of our life from society to science. Each person is a little philosopher, which is explained by the presence of the mind and thoughts of the individual.