Combining Texts

Ideas for 'General Draft', 'Representation and Reality' and 'Contextualism Contested'

unexpand these ideas     |    start again     |     choose another area for these texts

display all the ideas for this combination of texts


2 ideas

1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 5. Aims of Philosophy / a. Philosophy as worldly
Philosophy is homesickness - the urge to be at home everywhere [Novalis]
     Full Idea: Philosophy is actually homesickness - the urge to be everywhere at home.
     From: Novalis (General Draft [1799], 45)
     A reaction: The idea of home [heimat] is powerful in German culture. The point of romanticism was seen as largely concerning restless souls like Byron and his heroes, who do not feel at home. Hence ironic detachment.
The job of the philosopher is to distinguish facts about the world from conventions [Putnam]
     Full Idea: It is the job of the philosopher to distinguish what is fact and what is convention in our theorising about the world.
     From: Hilary Putnam (Representation and Reality [1988], §7 p.112)
     A reaction: This may well be the entire truth about philosophy. It begins with the Nomos-Physis debate in ancient Athens, and it turns out to be the key issue in almost every area of metaphysics, epistemology, aesthetics and morality.