CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY: CHARACTERISTICS AND CURRENTS - PHILOSOPHY - 2025

Contemporary philosophy is the name given to the philosophical currents that have emerged from the end of the 19th century, and that have been closely related to historical and social changes of great importance for the human being.

Contemporary philosophy is the most recent stage of what is known as Western philosophy, which begins in the pre-Socratic period, and advances through its ancient, medieval, Renaissance stages, etc.

The Thinker by Auguste Rodin

The contemporary period should not be confused with the so-called modern philosophy, which addresses a stage prior to the nineteenth century, nor with the postmodern, which is simply a current critical of modern philosophy.

One of the main aspects that characterize the contemporaneity of philosophy was the professionalization of this practice, thus overcoming the isolated condition that it previously maintained, through thinkers who carried out their reflections on their own. Now philosophical knowledge is institutionalized and available to anyone interested in knowledge.

It should be noted that the currents that are included as part of contemporary philosophy have been dedicated to seeking answers to concerns more coupled with social aspects of the human being, and their place in an ever-changing society, also addressing work relationships and religion.

Characteristics of contemporary philosophy

Professionalization of philosophy

One of the main characteristics of the contemporary stage was to place philosophical practice at the same level as other branches of professional knowledge.

This led to the conception of a legal and formal body around philosophical practice that would allow to recognize all those who comply with certain academic or other statutes.

Thinkers of the stature of Hegel were among the first to be appointed as professors of philosophy in European higher education at the time.

Despite the normalization of the philosophical profession, there were still intellectuals whose training and philosophical work did not originate within the framework of the profession as such, as would be the case with Ayn Rand.

Rejection towards the transcendent and the spiritual

Unlike previous stages in the history of philosophy, the contemporary period stands out for presenting a body of work that relegated to the background, or rejected entirely, the conceptions around transcendental beliefs, of a religious or spiritual nature, leading to its reflections to a strictly earthly plane.

There are currents and authors who from their own origins reject these subjective positions, as was Marxism, to speak of a current, and Friedich Nietzsche, to mention an author.

Crisis of reason

It was based on contemporary concerns and questions about whether philosophy as a reflective practice in a continuous search for knowledge can really be considered capable of providing an entirely rational description of reality, without being subject to the subjectivities of those authors in charge of thinking and developing such visions of reality.

The diversity that emerged in the approaches of contemporary philosophy shared the characteristic of confronting very contradictory positions among themselves. For example, the confrontation between absolute rationalism and Nietzschean irrationalism, or existentialism itself.

Currents and authors

Contemporary Western philosophy from its emergence was divided into two main streams or philosophical approaches, which were analytical philosophy and continental philosophy, from which a large number of currents much better known worldwide emerge.

- Analytical philosophy

Analytical philosophy was approached for the first time by the English philosophers Bertrand Russell and GE Moore, and was characterized by moving away from the postulates and positions manifested by Hegel through his work, in which idealism dominated.

The authors who worked under the concepts of analytical philosophy focused on the analysis of knowledge and reality from logical development.

Currents such as:

Experimental philosophy

Characterized by using empirical information for reflection and the search for answers to concerns and philosophical questions not addressed until now.

Naturalism

Its precept and base is the use of the scientific method and all its instruments as the only valid means to investigate and delve into reality.

Quietism

From the metaphilosophical point of view, he approaches philosophy as a practice that can have therapeutic or remedial purposes for man.

Post-analytical philosophy

It is an overcoming of analytical philosophy, promoted by Richard Rorty, which seeks to separate itself from the most common aspects of traditional analytical philosophy to generate new reflections about reality and knowledge.

- Continental philosophy

Continental philosophy gave rise to the most well-known world currents during the course of the 19th century onwards, mainly from 1900 onwards, with philosophers like Edmund Husserl being credited as one of its main founders.

Continental philosophy encompasses a series of philosophical approaches that, although complicated to encompass in the same definition, are commonly considered as a continuation of Kantian thought.

In general, it is a body of currents that lack analytical rigor and that in many cases reject scientism. From this start currents such as:

Existentialism

A trend popularized by authors such as Kierkegard and Nietzsche, which seeks to overcome the disorientation and confusion caused by a meaningless environment once the subject assimilates his own existence.

Structuralism / Post-structuralism

French current of the mid-twentieth century that addressed a deeper analysis of the contents of cultural products and their effects on society.

Ferdinand de Saussure, Michel Foucault and Roland Barthes have been considered some of its representatives.

Phenomenology

It seeks to investigate and establish the notions and structures of consciousness, as well as the phenomena around reflective and analytical acts.

Critical theory

It consists of the critical approach and examination of society and culture, based on the institutionalized social sciences and humanities. The thinkers of the Frankfurt School are representative of this current.

References

1. Geuss, R. (1999). The Idea of ​​a Critical Theory: Habermas and the Frankfurt School. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
2. Lorente, RC, Hyppolite, J., Mueller, GE, Pareyson, L., & Szilasi, W. (1949). Reports on current philosophical directions in different countries. Contemporary Philosophy (pp. 419-441). Mendoza: First National Congress of Philosophy.
3. Onfray, M. (2005). Antimanual of philosophy. Madrid: EDAF.
4. Osborne, R., & Edney, R. (2005). Philosophy for beginners. Buenos Aires: It was Nascent.
5. Villafañe, ES (sf). Contemporary philosophy: the 19th century.