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An Examination about the Function of Philosophy

Author(s): Ferhat Onur
Subject(s): Philosophy, History of Philosophy, Special Branches of Philosophy, Social Theory
Published by: Özgür Yayın Dağıtım Ltd. Şti.
Keywords: Philosophy; function; philosophical problems; history of philosophy;
Summary/Abstract: The problem of what philosophy is for or what its function is, is as important a problem as other major philosophical problems in the history of philosophy. Also, it differs positively from them in that it has some practical consequences. Traditionally, we see that philosophy is divided into two functions: philosophy as a theory of knowledge and philosophy as a social theory. These instrumentalist approaches argue that philosophy can have a direct impact on the world by carrying out missions such as grounding knowledge and bringing social change. On the other hand, there is an alternative approach that argues that philosophy should not be considered as a discipline that needs to be thought of in terms of its benefits it brings about. According to this essentialist approach, we should think of philosophy as a personal pursuit, a passion pursued in a way that is seperate from practical concerns. To see which of these approaches better reflects the nature of philosophy, it would be appropriate to look at the way it is currently applied and whether it can fulfill the traditional tasks assigned to it. This will show us that the essentialist approach is more preferable in the context of the problem of function than the instrumentalist approach.

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