THE 11 MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF PHILOSOPHY - PHILOSOPHY - 2024

Among the main characteristics of philosophy are its realistic and rational nature, as well as its argumentative sense, the lack of absolutism in its approaches and the constant use of sensible knowledge.

According to historical records it is possible to confirm that the philosophy originated in the 6th century BC. C. in Greece. The main motivation was to put aside the mythical and supernatural explanations that were common at the time, and start looking for answers to the great mysteries of life in reality.

Socrates is one of the most important Greek philosophers in history. Source: pixabay.com

The emergence of philosophy implied ceasing to see the world as an element at the total mercy of gods and natural phenomena, and beginning to understand what are the laws that give meaning to all circumstances.

Most relevant characteristics of the philosophy

Is realistic

School of Athens. Rafael Sanzio.

Philosophy bases its arguments on circumstances that are directly related to reality. For this reason, it is not necessary to explain philosophical concepts through symbolic or fantasy elements; on the contrary, the basement can be taken from reality perfectly.

This characteristic is of great importance, because the philosophy was generated precisely with the intention of offering real explanations to events that in ancient times were associated with the supernatural and mythical.

Thanks to the creation of arguments based on reality, it was possible to enrich thought and observe natural phenomena with a better disposition.

Give rational explanations

All definitions of philosophy must be based on rationality. As we explained above, this implies that philosophical thoughts do not admit mythological or supernatural-based explanations.

Likewise, for philosophical thought rational knowledge is much more valuable and reliable instead of that generated only by a condition of authority.

This rationality is completely unrelated to the scientific field because philosophy is not an empirical discipline. However, although this is not based on science, at all times rationality will be the protagonist of philosophical arguments.

It is individual

There are practically as many philosophical theories as there are philosophers in the world. This implies that philosophical thought arises as a consequence of the vision and conception of the world of a particular person.

Likewise, in most cases the different philosophies are duly attributed to their authors, anonymous arguments are not usually presented.

This has made it possible for different philosophers to have been able to study the complete works of others, and thus have been able to complement concepts in pursuit of the ultimate goal of philosophy: the understanding of truth.

It is argumentative

The entire foundation of a philosophical thought is necessarily supported by argumentation.

In other words, the concepts associated with this thought have been obtained through rationality and deliberation, not through a single, predetermined thought rooted through tradition or another cultural element.

Through arguments, philosophers validate their notions and seek to convince the general public about the theories they propose.

It is also based on the senses

In addition to considering realism and rationality in an inalienable way, philosophy also bases its arguments on sensible knowledge (the senses).

Through the senses it is possible to perceive the world around us; For this reason, the senses are essential to receive stimuli and, based on these, develop specific notions and concepts.

It is about the knowledge that we can obtain about the material objects that exist in the world. It is the first approach to external reality, which will then be interpreted by our brains based on lived experiences and other elements that participate in the perception of the world.

Accepts criticism

The fact that philosophy is essentially rational implies at the same time that it must be critical. That is, the philosophical arguments are characterized because they can always be re-studied and valued.

Likewise, a philosophical thought can be restated according to the perception of another philosopher. This condition allows thought to get richer and richer, and the end result of a philosophical argument to have even more far-reaching implications for humanity.

Critical and reflective attitude

Philosophy has a critical attitude towards things because it does not accept presumptions without demonstration. It is opposed to the dogmatic attitude; this means that it does not admit absolute truths as immovable principles that cannot be subject to discussion.

It rejects submission and fanaticism, especially the religious one, since it does not have a scientific and demonstrable basis. It raises radical questions that are at the root of reality and existence.

It is not absolute

This characteristic is related to the one explained in the previous point. By admitting criticisms and evaluations, philosophy shows that it is not an absolute discipline.

The ultimate goal of philosophy is to get as close as possible to the truth of all things. In this sense, each philosophical argument is seen as a step towards that great goal, not as obtaining the ultimate truth.

The fact that philosophy is based on argumentation implies that a fundamental part of it is related to deliberation and debate, and since there are conversation and feedback scenarios, there is also openness.

It is systematic

Philosophy is characterized because it seeks to order everything that is related to the experience of human life in the most logical way possible.

Therefore, it uses systems and processes that allow it to explain and analyze these elements in an orderly fashion.

Is radical

This quality has to do with the sensitivity of the subjects that are the object of study of philosophy. This discipline concentrates its greatest efforts in areas that are decisive for the human being, such as the meaning of life and death.

These issues have a high level of sensitivity, so openly discussing them and proposing arguments or debates in that context is perceived as a radical and essential action.

Beyond common sense

In this case we refer to common sense as one that considers that the world is as it is observed, without questioning it.

Under this premise, it is not necessary to verify the legitimacy of the context, since it has always been the same way. Philosophical thought completely divorces itself from this notion and bases all its actions on questioning practically everything.

One of the strengths of philosophy is analyzing and understanding beyond the default. For this reason the so-called common sense is not relevant for this discipline.

References

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2. Moreno, J. "Of sensitive knowledge" in Torre de Babel Ediciones. Retrieved on October 22, 2019 from Torre de Babel Ediciones: e-torredebabel.com
3. "Philosophy" in Wikipedia. Retrieved on October 22, 2019 from Wikipedia: wikipedia.org
4. Lozano, M., Martínez, J. López, M. and Figueroa, P. "Philosophy" at Mc Graw Hill. Retrieved on October 22, 2019 from Mc Graw Hill: mheducation.cl
5. Boutroux, E. "The characteristics of modern philosophy" in Jstor. Retrieved on October 22, 2019 from Jstor: jstor.org
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