Return to Philosophy

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Modern
Cover of the book Return to Philosophy by Thomas Molnar, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Thomas Molnar ISBN: 9781351292542
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: April 17, 2018
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Thomas Molnar
ISBN: 9781351292542
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: April 17, 2018
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

From its earliest beginnings and through much of its history, the philosophical enterprise has rooted its intellectual procedures in common sense. Ordinary discourse is what the pre-Socratic thinkers did at the dawn of speculation. The same approach was characteristic of the medieval mystics, Pascal in the seventeenth century, and Gaston Bachelard in the twentieth century. However with the ascendency of the physical sciences, mathematics, and depth psychology as influences in contemporary thought, philosophical language and forms of expression became increasingly distant from ordinary language. This created estrangement and confusion in the learner's mind. In Return to Philosophy Thomas Molnar diagnoses the verbal derailment of philosophy and shows how it might be reconnected to the realities of human life.

While granting that philosophy must use a somewhat specialized language, Molnar attacks jargon-laden thought by tracing certain root assumptions that go deeper than the issue of language itself. He locates these assumptions in the work of philosophers who, espousing modernity, no longer trust the "reality of the real," and are convinced that the world and our perception of it are elusive, offering no foundation except in the human mind which, however, is also the result of a "social contract," a temporary consensus or transient network of meanings readily discardable. According to changing ideologies and social structures we use "signs" linguistic, psychological, hermeneutical, structuralist, existentialist not to express reality but to establish communication with others. Philosophy, then, shifts from the task of knowing reality to the task of communicating here and now.

Return to Philosophy is a unique endeavor. Molnar's book unmasks the modern derailment and shows that many leading philosophers do not so much philosophize, but merely elaborate verbal-technical instruments in what may be little more than trivial language games. This volume will be of interest to philosophers, cultural historians, and sociologists.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

From its earliest beginnings and through much of its history, the philosophical enterprise has rooted its intellectual procedures in common sense. Ordinary discourse is what the pre-Socratic thinkers did at the dawn of speculation. The same approach was characteristic of the medieval mystics, Pascal in the seventeenth century, and Gaston Bachelard in the twentieth century. However with the ascendency of the physical sciences, mathematics, and depth psychology as influences in contemporary thought, philosophical language and forms of expression became increasingly distant from ordinary language. This created estrangement and confusion in the learner's mind. In Return to Philosophy Thomas Molnar diagnoses the verbal derailment of philosophy and shows how it might be reconnected to the realities of human life.

While granting that philosophy must use a somewhat specialized language, Molnar attacks jargon-laden thought by tracing certain root assumptions that go deeper than the issue of language itself. He locates these assumptions in the work of philosophers who, espousing modernity, no longer trust the "reality of the real," and are convinced that the world and our perception of it are elusive, offering no foundation except in the human mind which, however, is also the result of a "social contract," a temporary consensus or transient network of meanings readily discardable. According to changing ideologies and social structures we use "signs" linguistic, psychological, hermeneutical, structuralist, existentialist not to express reality but to establish communication with others. Philosophy, then, shifts from the task of knowing reality to the task of communicating here and now.

Return to Philosophy is a unique endeavor. Molnar's book unmasks the modern derailment and shows that many leading philosophers do not so much philosophize, but merely elaborate verbal-technical instruments in what may be little more than trivial language games. This volume will be of interest to philosophers, cultural historians, and sociologists.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Free Adjuncts and Absolutes in English by Thomas Molnar
Cover of the book Disability and New Media by Thomas Molnar
Cover of the book The Complete Classroom by Thomas Molnar
Cover of the book Re-Orienting the Fundamentals by Thomas Molnar
Cover of the book Multidimensional Evidence-Based Practice by Thomas Molnar
Cover of the book Business Process Management by Thomas Molnar
Cover of the book The Four Faces of Nuclear Terrorism by Thomas Molnar
Cover of the book Twilight of the Social by Thomas Molnar
Cover of the book Teaching Toward Democracy by Thomas Molnar
Cover of the book Church Growth in Britain by Thomas Molnar
Cover of the book Coastal Systems by Thomas Molnar
Cover of the book Synesthetic Legalities by Thomas Molnar
Cover of the book Intelligence, Defence and Diplomacy by Thomas Molnar
Cover of the book Environmental Management and Governance by Thomas Molnar
Cover of the book Principles of Rorschach Interpretation by Thomas Molnar
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy