DEFINITION OF ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY AND ITS PROTAGONISTS
DEFINITION OF ANALYTIC
PHILOSOPHY AND ITS PROTAGONISTS
The
term analytic philosophy can be defined basically in two ways. Firstly, it can
be defined as a historical epoch whereby it refers to the philosophical
developments which emerged in the late 19th century and early 20th
century. Secondly, it can be defined as a philosophical practice that is
characterized by an emphasis on argumentative clarity and precision, often
making use of formal logic, conceptual analysis and to a lesser degree
mathematics and natural science.[1] Nevertheless,
it would be worthy to note that analytic philosophy is a particular kind of
philosophical tradition within the domains of western thought.[2] Central
figures to the development analytic philosophy are Bertrand Russell, Ludwig
Wittgenstein, G. E. Moore, Gottlob Frege and the logical positivists.
Resulting
from the question of method and in an attempt to give an explanation of the
confrontation of analytic philosophy with the traditional conceptions of
philosophy; there is also a need to give a detailed description of what the
principle of analytic philosophy entails and its inception into the panorama of
contemporary systems of philosophical thoughts and beliefs. Analytic philosophy
is a philosophical school that submits to the view that language (which is
primarily concerned with the scientific communicative method of proposition and
meaning) is the basic and core foundation of other subjects of thoughts and
human reasoning.[3]
They are subjected to the position which affirms the analysis of the structure
of thought; which can only be ascertained when all that concerns linguistic
schemes, structures, and methods, are critically analyzed.[4] More
so, they upheld that the task of philosophy is to clarify the meaning of
language as Wittgenstein posits in Tractatus
Logico-Philosophicus that the object of philosophy is the logical
clarification of thoughts so that the result of philosophy is not a number of
philosophical propositions but to make propositions clear.[5]
Essentially,
there was a dramatic shift in the enterprise of philosophy. One tends to see
the radical twist and backdrop from “absolute idealism” which was a major and
influential philosophical movement before the advent of the analytic
philosophy. The activities of the analytic school became initiated by two major
figures in the circle of contemporary philosophy. These two philosophers-
Bertrand Russell and G. E. Moore- were both contemporaries of the twentieth
century.
It
is recorded that this period was characterized by the uprising of the
systematic revolution; that uncompromising breakaway from the doctrine of the
Hegelian philosophical doctrine and system.[6]
The Hegelian philosophical system had most of its constituent on the model of
idealism; a subset of “metaphysical monism,” with the notion that: “The world
and all that concerns its entities or objects are nothing but illusions. As
such, the very nature of the universe is unreal, mentally or spiritually based,
rather than materially composed. Philosophers who were part of the school
include: F. H. Bradley, Bernard Bosanquet, and J. E. Mc Taggart.[7]
In
reaction to these shades of positions by the idealist, both Moore and Russell
gave their distinct views and postulations. Moore posited a synthetic tool
which helped in the analyzing languages with its meaning and propositions. This
led to the clarification of language to their ordinary forms, as it fits
suitably with the “common sense” view of the world. Russell on the other hand,
saw metaphysical language as loose and obscure; heavily pregnant with
ambiguities and nonsensical ideas. Hence, he recommended the principle of
“logical atomism,” which subjected every form of language to the domain of
linguistic analysis; were facts were rigourously examined for the invention of
a new language. It is worth mentioning, that the only criterion for the new
language to be considered as valid, necessarily needs to be in absolute
correspondence to the facts. This shows that philosophy is deeply concerned
with the task of clarification other than discovery; and the unending pursuit
of meaning rather truth.[8]
Another
outlook relatively linked with the analytical philosophy invasion, is the
philosophical insights of Ludwig Wittgenstein; of all of which were reflected
through the volumes of his ideas in one of his basic writings: “Tractatus Logico Philosophicus.” This
piece of writing came into the break of recognition in the year 1919.
Wittgenstein’s philosophical analysis is characterized by the logical
assumption that language contains a “logical skeleton” whose sole function is-
“to state facts.” He based this argument on the exercise of his thought other
than “observation.”[9]
More
seriously, he assumed that all languages are strikingly similar, despite their
superficial differences. Although he later discovered a flaw in his analogy, by
saying that the only way one should analyze language is by a careful
observation of its usage and operations, not by mere thinking (which is a
product of logical atomism). Hence, he shifted the pattern of analysis which
was engrossed in logic and the “construction of a perfect language.”[10]
The
reverse became the case. Wittgenstein liberated himself from the thought
patterns of Russell, conforming himself to the postulations of Moore. This made
him give in to the “analysis of ordinary language” whose facts can be clarified
and actualized by its conformity with the “criterion of common sense.” This
made him see language as a form of life rather than a single pattern alone.
Consequently, the business of philosophical analysis should be solely concerned
with a careful description of language, than its definition and explanations.[11]
THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
SUCCESS OF CRITICAL THEORY OF THE FRANKFURT SCHOOL
The
relationship between analytic philosophy and the success of the Frankfurt
school critical theory can be sublimely explicit in their objectives. It can be
suggested that the success of the Frankfurt school with their critical theory
would have precipitated the emergence of analytical philosophy. From our
previous presentation which centered on Frankfurt school and its weapon –
critical theory, we have the impression of a school that moved from Germany to
the American soil. Having moved to the American soil, the Frankfurt school yet
directed their critical theory towards correcting the unpleasant and
inauspicious ideologies in Europe, notably Marxian ideology which has its
foundation on Hegelianism. Furthermore, in the Dialectics of Enlightenment of
Max Horkheimar and Minima Moralia of Theodor Adorno, critical theory was
directed towards the critique of western civilization as a whole. Thus it would
be worthy to note that the Frankfurt school critical theory stands to be the
first philosophical current outside Europe which sought out to critique the
philosophical traditional ideologies of held in Europe and its success stands
to define the emergence of others.
The
analytic philosophy on its own part is conceived to be in opposition to
continental philosophy, that is, the philosophical approach obtainable in
Europe. The heart of the opposition between analytic philosophy and continental
philosophy lies evidently in their methodology i.e. in a focus on analysis or
on synthesis. Thus, Neil Levy sees this
methodological difference of analytic philosophy as a problem-solving activity,
and Hans-Johann Glock remarks in The Rise of
Analytic Philosophy, that analytic philosophy is a respectable science or
skill; it uses specific techniques to tackle discrete problems with definite
results.[12]
Furthermore, the impacts of Russell and Moore
also represent a dramatic shift whereby they articulated an alternative to
absolute idealism. . Additionally, Russell believed
that the grammar of natural language often is philosophically misleading, and
that the way to dispel the illusion is to re-express propositions in the ideal
formal language of symbolic logic, thereby revealing their true logical form.
Because of this emphasis on language, analytic philosophy was widely taken to
involve a turn toward language as the subject matter of philosophy, and it was
taken to involve an accompanying methodological turn toward linguistic
analysis. Thus, on the traditional view, analytic philosophy was born in this linguistic
turn. The linguistic conception of philosophy was rightly seen as
refreshingly new in the history of philosophy. For this reason analytic
philosophy is reputed to have originated in a philosophical revolution on the
grand scale—not merely in a revolt against British Idealism, but against
traditional philosophy on the whole.[13]
Therefore, the relationship of analytic philosophy with the success
of critical theory of Frankfurt school can be explained in the sense that the
success of critical theory as a corrective attempt directed to philosophy
ideology in Europe was a building block to a corrective attempt of methodology
of philosophy in Europe. More so, it would be worthy to note that both the
critical theory of the Frankfurt school thrived in the American soil where
analytic philosophy emerged.
[1] Cf. colin mcginn, the making
of a philosopher: my journey through 20th philosophy (harper
Collins,2002)p.xi
[2] Cf. John Searle, Contemporary
Philosophy in the United States, in N. Bunnin and E. P. Tsui-James (eds.), The Blackwell Companion to Philosophy, 2nd
ed., (Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, Inc., 2003), p. 1.
[3] Cf. Hans-Johann Glock, What
is Analytic Philosophy? (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008), p.
122.
[4] Cf. Glock, What is Analytic
Philosophy? p. 122.
[5] Stump.p 446
[6] Cf. Samuel Enoch Stumpf, Philosophy:
History and Problems (New York: McGraw Hill, Inc., 1997), p. 447.
[7] Cf. Stumpf, Philosophy:
History and Problems. p. 447.
[8] Cf. Samuel Enoch Stumpf, Philosophy:
History and Problems (New York: McGraw Hill, Inc., 1997), p. 448.
[9] Cf. Stumpf, Philosophy:
History and Problems. p. 461.
[10] Cf. Stumpf, Philosophy:
History and Problems. p. 463.
[11] Cf. Stumpf, Philosophy:
History and Problems. p. 463.
[12] https://philosophynow.org/issues/74/analytic_versus_continental_philosophy
[13] www.iep.utm.edu/analytic/
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