- How does the method of philosophy work?
- The doubt
- The questions
- The explanation
- The justification
- What are the philosophical methods?
- Empirical-rational method
- Empiricist method
- Rationalist method
- Transcendental method
- Analytical-linguistic method
- Hermeneutical method
- Phenomenological method
- Socratic method
- Psychoanalytic method
- References
The philosophical method is the way that philosophers have to approach philosophical questions, characterized by taking into account doubt, argument and dialectics. As the reason for being of philosophy is to explain the origin of human knowledge and its nature, philosophers use different ways to try to do it.
Although each philosopher follows his own method of answering the questions presented to him, there are some common aspects.
Aristotle statue
How does the method of philosophy work?
The doubt
René Descartes, Via wikimedia commons.
It could be said that every philosopher, including Descartes, questions everything that can be doubted. And that is the first impulse of the philosopher's work: doubt; suspicious of things or beliefs that are taken for granted.
The first philosophers claimed that only doubt and wonder could initiate the path to wisdom.
The questions
In philosophy, the formulation of the question occupies a good part of the scientist's time, since he tries to make it a clear and precise question that leads to the root of the problem.
Locating the root of the problem should lead to the best possible solutions.
The explanation
It consists of proposing a probable explanation for the problem.
This explanation should not be definitive (there will always be a methodical doubt), but it must be clear and well founded.
The justification
It is another of the distinctive features of the method in philosophy; argue, justify or support the proposed solutions.
Normally, the arguments are presented in the form of premises that logically connected, lead to the solution.
These arguments are expected to satisfy the doubt that started the discussion. However, it should be remembered that there will always be room for doubt.
What are the philosophical methods?
As said in previous lines, there is no single philosophical method. Some of the most used are mentioned below:
Empirical-rational method
Bust of Aristotle in the Altemps Palace, Source: Jastrow / Public domain
The rational empirical method starts from the premise that the two sources of human knowledge are the senses and the understanding.
According to this method proposed by Aristotle, the senses and the understanding allow access to two levels of reality: sensible (first) and intelligible (later).
Sensible knowledge is multiple and changing, but the understanding manages to find the permanent and immutable element of reality, that is, the substance of things.
This means that the understanding grasps that there is something that changes in things and something that does not. These changes in reality are explained with the notions of "being in potential", "being in act" and the theory of causes (material, efficient and final).
Empiricist method
Portrait of John Locke
The empiricist method implies that the origin of knowledge depends on sense experience and follows an inductive path.
The reason is the adequate source to reach the "truths of reason", which explain reality. But experience is the way to "factual truths", with which new knowledge and new aspects of reality are discovered.
The most prominent empiricists were Locke, Berkeley, and Hume.
Rationalist method
Spinoza
This is the method that defends the primacy of reason. Reason is the source and is also the criterion of knowledge.
Although knowledge through the senses is admitted, it is considered confusing and unreliable. This method combines intuition and deduction.
Mathematics is considered the most perfect rational science. The highest representatives of the rationalist method are Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz.
However, later on a critical rationalism arose that considered it necessary to prove in experience all knowledge that was believed to be true.
Karl Popper and Hans Albert are the greatest exponents of this critical rationalism.
Transcendental method
Immanuel kant
The transcendental method is the one used to base human knowledge. With this method we try to explain human knowledge, which is done from the following questions:
- What can man know?
- What is man to do?
- What can man expect?
For a follower of the transcendental method, these questions boil down to one: What is man?
The promoter of this method was Inmanuel Kant, who sought to discover the conditions that enable human knowledge.
In his search, Kant concludes that the two sources of knowledge are sensitivity and intellectual faculties (understanding, reason and judgment).
Other followers of this method were Fichte and Hegel. His influence can be seen in the transcendental pragmatics of Apel and the universal pragmatics of Habermas.
Analytical-linguistic method
The analytical-linguistic method was born in the twentieth century, with the interest of clarifying language as it is considered a source of imprecision and philosophical confusion.
The task of clarifying the language goes through:
Formal, logical and semantic analysis
The logic of language is analyzed to reach the logic of thoughts.
Language use analysis
The use of linguistic resources is analyzed, seeing them as a reflection of the way of life.
Hermeneutical method
The hermeneutical method is used to try to inquire into the meaning of things. Hermeneutics fundamentally proposes that the meaning of things is understood from experience, and the question arises of how is understanding possible?
The search for the answer to this question has been done by investigating the elements that make understanding possible (non-normative hermeneutics) or by criticizing false understandings.
On the first road are Hans Georg Gadamer and Richard Rorty; and in the second, there are Karl-Otto Apel and Jürgen Habermas.
Phenomenological method
This method proposes to purify the studied phenomenon of those details that are not part of its essence.
The phenomenological method is the one used by Edmund Husserl.
Socratic method
It is the method that consists of reaching the essence of the object of study through a list of questions that help define it.
It is known by the name of mayutics.
Psychoanalytic method
A method marked by free associations and transference, typical of psychoanalysis.
Other possible methods would be:
- The intuitive method
- The dialectical materialistic method
- The dispute method
References
- Arnedo, José (2011). Habermas: ethics of discourse. Recovered from: josearnedo.blogspot.com.es
- Cerletti, Alejandro (s / f). Teach philosophy: from the philosophical question to the methodological proposal. Recovered from: s3.amazonaws.com
- Cortina, Adela (2002). Philosophy. Recovered from: acfilosofia.org
- De la Maza, Luís (2005). Foundations of hermeneutical philosophy: Heidegger and Gadamer. Recovered from: scielo.cl
- Galisteo, Esteban (2013). The methodical doubt. Recovered from: philosophia.laguia2000.com
- Gott, Anis (2013). Methods of philosophy. Recovered from: Essencenisgottcreativo.wordpress.com
- Malena (2008). Methods of philosophy. Recovered from: philosophia.laguia2000.com
- Trinity College of Dublin (s / f). Introduction to Philosophical Methodology. Recovered from: tcd.ie
- Wikipedia (s / f). Philosophical methodology. Recovered from: en.wikipedia.org