|
All material on this site is Copyright by Dean Gardiner. No material from this site may be used in any form without express permission of the copyright owner. |
Philosophy is Dead!
"The eagle never lost so much time, as when he submitted to learn of the crow." - William Blake
Every philosopher throughout history has effectively solved (to their own satisfaction) the burning philosophical questions of their age. Each philosopher has declared that future philosophical speculation is superfluous in light of their revelations. Kant supposedly ended the rationalists school of thought that was inspired by Descartes, but the arguments and logic behind his Discourse of Method still dominates modern thinking. And although Wittgenstein supposedly dispatched all metaphysical speculation altogether how does this explain the subsequent rise in popularity of existentialism and analytical philosophy that followed in his wake?
In this grand tradition this essay declares that philosophy is dead because it intends to be the definitive philosophical work that makes all subsequent philosophy superfluous! However, inevitably, rather than pushing a supposedly new philosophical agenda the real issue emerges which questions the validity of philosophy in general, the relevance of philosophy to mankind and the impossibility of developing any truly original philosophical ideas. The essay concludes that philosophy without relevance is merely a pointless intellectual exercise, which is truly the best indication that philosophy is dead.
Feedback is welcomed, criticism will be ignored.