The Six Criteria of a Philosophy

One of the hardest things for a beginner of philosophy is how to decide what to believe. There are so many philosophical claims, arguments, and theories that it is quite easy to become overwhelmed and confused when deciding what you agree with and what you disagree with. That is why philosophers have agreed on six criteria when examining the strength of a philosophical statement. These six standards serve as tests against philosophical views that can help you to better decide what standpoint you take.

1.Clarity. The first test that a philosophy must pass is conceptual clarity. If the claim is not clear, then you do not know exactly what is being proposed. For instance, suppose philosopher states, "The only thing in life that matters is beauty." He must clarify what is meant by beauty. Beauty is objective, so clarification of certain terms may be necessary.

2.Consistency. The second test that a philosophy must pass is consistency. Rather, the philosophical statement cannot contradict itself. For instance, a philosopher could say, "I am determined, but I have free will." However, that statement contradicts itself and needs to be revised to be more consistent. Either that or the terms determined and free will should be defined differently.

3.Coherence. The third test that a philosophy must pass is coherence. The philosophy needs to "fit together." For instance, a famous philosopher, Rene Descartes argued that humans are made up of a physical body and a nonphysical mind (separate from the brain). However, he failed to clarify how these two different things interact together. How can the physical and nonphysical interact? Consequently there has been a never-ending debate upon his philosophy.

4.Comprehensiveness. The fourth test that a philosophy must pass is comprehensiveness. A philosophy that makes sense will be favored over one that does not. A philosophy that explains itself over a broad spectrum will fair better than one that only explains one area of phenomena. For instance, a philosophy that makes sense when considered scientifically, morally, and religiously will be more comprehensive than one that only makes sense scientifically.

5.Compatibility. The next test that a philosophy needs to pass is compatibility. Is the philosophy compatible with proven facts and well-established theories? After all, a good philosophy is one that seeks to unify our knowledge and understanding. However, if the philosophy contradicts common sense or scientifically proven facts, no matter how good an argument it poses, it is not a very good philosophy.

6.Compelling Arguments. The last test that a philosophy must pass is that it must have the support of compelling arguments. Philosophers make many different conflicting claims about what is true. Therefore, they must have compelling arguments as to why their view is correct one. They must provide good reasons that convince you that their philosophy is the truth.

These six criteria are what to evaluate philosophical claims on. By employing these six tests, choosing a philosophy that you agree with will become much easier.