MODERN PHILOSOPHY

MODERNITY

• Modernity is subjective
• Relative
• Individualized
• No universality

MODERNITY

• External > Universal
• "New" and "Now"
• Temporal orientation to 'here and now'

MODERNITY

• Themes:
• Empiricism
• Criticism
• Idealism
• Rationalism

MODERNITY

• Themes:
• Materialism
• Positivism
• Existentialism

MODERNITY

• Main philosophers:
• Descartes
• Kant
• Hegel
• Hume

DESCARTES

• Epistemology and Rationalism
• One of 3 to experience inward turn

COGITO ERGO SUM

• "I think therefore I am"
• I doubt that I doubt
• Doing it makes it so
• "I doubt" is absolutely certain

DESCARTES LEGACY

• Birth of modern concept consciousness and subjectivity

HUME

• Wants philosophy to be about progress
• Going beyond anything we can know is worthless
• Metaphysical systems are "smokescreens" for popular superstitions

HUME

• Helps us to gain a better grasp of:
• 1) scope and limits of understanding
• 2) nature of our ideas
• 3) operations we perform in

KANT

• 3 major texts
• 1) critique of pure reason
• 2) critique of practical reason
• 3) critique of judgement

KANT

• Tries to synthesize rationalism and empiricism
• Rescuing metaphysics from a human approach

KANT

• A priori = logic
• A paste riots = sense

HEGEL

• Considered creator of absolute idealism
• Describes being as inclusive whole
• "World spirit" is reason itself

HEGEL

• Selective spirit (individual)
• Objective spirit (family, state, society)
• Absolute spirit (art, religion, philosophy)

HEGEL

• Dialectic process
• 1) thesis
• 2) antithesis
• 3) synthesis

HEGEL

• Individual is first stage
• Then objective
• Next absolute
• Essence is freedom

MY THOUGHTS ON DESCARTES

• Descartes is the most confusing
• How can we doubt doubt?
• Never ending cycle of doubt

CONCLUSION ON MODERNITY

• Most confusing time period
• Many opposing ideas
• Every philosopher influenced by last