Definition and Characteristics of Continental Philosophy:
– Term ‘continental philosophy’ first used in the 1970s, but found earlier in John Stuart Mill’s work in 1840.
– Emerged as a contrast to analytic philosophy in the early 20th century.
– Rejects natural sciences as the sole way to understand natural phenomena.
– Emphasizes pre-theoretical substrate of experience, historicism, and the unity of theory and practice.
– Focuses on metaphilosophy and redefining the method and nature of philosophy.
Influences and Traditions within Continental Philosophy:
– Includes German idealism, phenomenology, existentialism, hermeneutics, structuralism, and post-structuralism.
– Encompasses French feminism, psychoanalytic theory, and critical theory of the Frankfurt School.
– Analytic and continental traditions have influenced each other.
– Philosophers debate differences based on institutions, relationships, and ideology.
Academic Debate and Geographical Specificity of Continental Philosophy:
– No academic consensus on the definition of continental philosophy.
– Simon Glendinning suggests the term was originally pejorative.
– Some scholars advocate for post-continental philosophy.
– Geographic specificity questioned in the context of continental philosophy.
– Self-described analytic and continental philosophers found in various countries.
Historical Development of Continental Philosophy:
– German idealism marks the beginning of continental philosophy.
– Figures like Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel led this movement.
– Linked with romanticism and Enlightenment politics.
– 20th-century French philosophy played a significant role in the development.
– Husserl’s phenomenology and logic influenced both continental and analytic traditions.
Recent Developments and Significant Works in Continental Philosophy:
– Continental philosophy gained traction in British and American universities in the late 20th century.
– Notable continental philosophers migrated to the US during WWII.
– Many British and American universities now offer courses in continental philosophy.
– Significant works include Hegel’s ‘Phenomenology of Spirit,’ Schopenhauer’s ‘The World as Will and Representation,’ and others.
– The Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy (SPEP) is a prominent organization in the US.
Continental philosophy is a term used to describe some philosophers and philosophical traditions that do not fall under the umbrella of analytic philosophy. However, there is no academic consensus on the definition of continental philosophy. Prior to the twentieth century, the term "continental" was used broadly to refer to philosophy from continental Europe. A different use of the term originated among English-speaking philosophers in the second half of the 20th century, who used it to refer to a range of thinkers and traditions outside the analytic movement. Continental philosophy includes German idealism, phenomenology, existentialism (and its antecedents, such as the thought of Kierkegaard and Nietzsche), hermeneutics, structuralism, post-structuralism, deconstruction, French feminism, psychoanalytic theory, and the critical theory of the Frankfurt School as well as branches of Freudian, Hegelian and Western Marxist views. There is widespread influence and debate between the analytic and continental traditions; some philosophers see the differences between the two traditions as being based on institutions, relationships, and ideology rather than anything of significant philosophical substance.
The term continental philosophy lacks clear definition and may mark merely a family resemblance across disparate philosophical views; Hans-Johann Glock has made a similar argument for analytic philosophy. Simon Glendinning has suggested that the term “continental philosophy” was originally more pejorative than descriptive, functioning as a label for types of western philosophy rejected or disliked by analytic philosophers. Nonetheless, Michael E. Rosen has ventured to identify common themes that typically characterize continental philosophy. The themes proposed by Michael E. Rosen derive from a broadly Kantian thesis that knowledge, experience, and reality are bound and shaped by conditions best understood through philosophical reflection rather than exclusively empirical inquiry.
