Continental Philosophy

The history of philosophy spans from Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates in 384 b.c.e. to Descartes and others in the 16th century. Our present day philosophers are musicians according to an article I recently read. Philosophers of present day 2009 like Manuel Delanda would disagree speaking about materialism and idealism which reflect the idealism's of philosophers like Georg Hegel. In a video speaking of Hegel he says, "...he synchronized a new form of materialism that doesn't have any of the problems of the past either by elective materials or historical materialism and that returns us to a world where we don't have to be gauged by representation.

"We do not need representation we need intervention," concerning the goal of materialism according to Sartres. This continuation of philosophical thought processes of phenomenology and existentialism is valuable in analyzing and seeking knowledge without assumptions or presumptions.

The term Continental Philosophy is a traditional form made up of the philosophical thoughts held by those interested in existential, phenomenology, hermeneutics, deconstruction and critical theory viewpoint. There are two main forms; Existential and Phenomenology, which will be the focal point of discussion along with contributors, deemed the most influence in the philosophical viewpoints of Continental Philosophy.

The historical events in philosophy through the Hegelian era and beyond into the 19th, 20th, and future centuries are possibly as never-ending as Hegel himself. That is at least in philosophy, never-ending with many aspects after Hegel being placed in response to Hegel. The concept of Absolute Idealism is a theme contending that if it is impossible to know something than "it is unthinkable, why, it just plain isn't." The unthinkable reality is that there are many unknowns on this planet; is this to say that they do not exist? Themes or traditions in philosophy do change however; when speaking on continental terms of one country to the next anyway.
In the United States pragmatist attitudes were adapted.

Pragmatist contends that truth in time, place and purpose is ever-changing with new information. What something means in one usage or method may not mean the same thing in another usage or method. A string, is it for bundling or flying a kite? The optimistic philosophiesof Hegel and absolute idealism is a theme contending that if it is impossible to know something than "it is unthinkable, why, it just plain isn't."

The existential theme is that all individuals have a need to struggle with various problems in human existence and without this struggle life is pointless. The idea that all sensory data received is the basis (the phenomena) of objective knowledge is one observation in Phenomenology.

The focus of attack appears to be on the Hegelian Idealisms in particular when addressing the continental philosophies of existentialism and phenomenology. Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre are considered the greatest existentialist philosophers. They both were responsible for large quantities of documentation and shared the idea that life is simply an absurdity. They lacked many of the views expressed in Hegelian Idealisms and found people simply wasted their time in self indulgence.

Soren Kierkegaard was not alone in his scorning of Georg Hegel. Kierkegaard thought that Hegel's theories were a form of abstract unreality. In Kierkegaard's point of view rather than an individual dissolving into an unreality an individual in the face of doubt and uncertainty could choose. The thoughts that cosmic will rather than reason is the world's driver was not a shared view of Friedrich Nietzsche although he agreed with many philosophies of Arthur Schopenhauer.

The conflict between Hegelian Idealisms and Continental Philosophy is particularly centered in the optimistic point of view. Hegel simply believed that life has purpose and meaning while the existential theory of Nietzsche is that life is absurd and anything but rational.

Phenomenology focuses on elements of conscious experience, assumptions and presumptions of science. One philosopher that has a tremendous amount of work and contribution is Edmund Husserl. Husserl developed transcendental phenomenology which investigates phenomena and omits assumptions about the world. He is also responsible for another process, phenomenological reduction; this investigates various presumptions about the world through conscious experience.

Continental philosophy is a freer form of philosophy in my opinion. I think the ideologies of Hegel were too optimistic when concerning views of human nature. A state of nature is a state of being as has to exist as much as creation. The earth can create as well as any God, could be an atonement of Nietzsche. The philosophy of why not commit suicide in some ways suggest that Camus was apathetic toward life on earth, but then again if God exist than what is death? The viewpoint is that there can be no death only eternal life so why death
would be referenced would be unclear or unrealistic in a Kierkegaard sort of way.

The thought processes like those found in continental philosophy, tell us everything exist in the conscious experience, and that the human experience is to live in a world that is absurd and irrational. The dread and self doubt within all human populations are ever present in all societies and cultures. We are doomed to enslavement in mortality but as individuals we have right of choice as Kierkegaard illustrated.

REFERENCES

Delanda (2008), Manuel DeLanda: Materialism, Experience and Philosophy
Retrieved February 8, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXzc1V2nTKk

Moore-Bruder (2005), Philosophy: The Power of Ideas, Sixth Edition Chapter 8
© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2005
Retrieved February 8, 2009, from Course Materials