Philosophy the Roots of Modern Philosophy Lie

¶ … Philosophy

The roots of modern philosophy lie in Greek philosophy, which was based on logic, metaphysics, ethics and epistemology. Modern philosophy began with the works of philosopher Rene Descartes, who founded and led the intellectual revolution of the Renaissance.

Descartes was determined to rediscover philosophy by shedding the Scholastic method and tracing the roots of Greek philosophy.

The Modern Era is best described as an experimentation in subjectivity in different forms, including individualism, egoism, or solipsism. Even today, all modern philosophies are, in some way, based on Descartes' ideas of subjectivism and his rejection of the Scholastic method.

Modern Philosophy was created without institutional influences or traditionalism. One of its most important characteristics of the modern period of philosophy is that it sought to be the result of reason alone, freeing itself from theology and church regulations. Basically, modern philosophers relentlessly search for solid foundations and lean toward subjectivity.

Descartes, Kant, Locke, and Hegel are all example of great thinkers who had a lasting impact on modern philosophy. Descartes took philosophy on a subjective turn, meaning he led modern thinking to examine the situation in which one concentrates on its own mind and its states, viewing thus as the foundation for all other knowledge. Descartes' modern philosophy aimed to answer the question: "What do I know?" He attempts to answer this by reflecting on what he believes himself to know.

According to Kant, the mind seeks complete knowledge yet is limited to phenomena and appearances. Therefore, in a quest for understanding the real world, humans try to build it. However, by using categories or logic, which are designed for phenomena, on the ultimate reality, we create contradiction.

Kant tossed aside traditional views and found that the existence of God, the soul, and ultimate reality cannot be proven, as all of our proof is based on phenomena and its categories. This is a great example of modern philosophy.

Kant basically believed that the ultimate principle of morality must be a moral law conceived abstractly. If it is abstract enough, he argued, it would be capable of guiding us to the right action in application to all circumstances. Therefore, the only relevant feature of the moral law is its generality or universality.

Hegel's views are similar to Kant's, as Hegel holds that philosophy should become self-critical and aware of its own limitations. On the other hand, Hegel argues that such self-critical reflection demands that philosophy be aware of the genesis, context, and development of itself.

Hegel presented a modern, subjective point-of-view, saying that the existence of objects in space around us is doubtful and it is not possible to gain knowledge of the world through rational thought alone.

Locke criticized the common rationalistic belief in knowledge without experience. Locke took modern philosophy in a new direction, from the analysis of the physical world to the study of the mind.

This made epistemology, which studies the nature of knowledge, the main concern of modern philosophy. Locke's philosophy tried to reduce all ideas to simple elements of experience, yet he distinguished sensation and reflection as sources of experience.

While contemporary Western culture constantly changes and evolves, it is still modern in many ways. Still, this culture had changed from being mainly modern to post-modern. For example, modern philosophy centered on universal, absolute truth, while post-modern thought is centered on pluralistic, personal truths and personal statements.

One problem with modern thinkers is that they assume that viewpoints are more homogeneous than they are. Our current awareness of diversity forces us to change these modern arguments to fit into a society with multiple cultures, religions, and value systems.