Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'On Motion', 'Foucault: a very short introduction' and 'Course of Positive Philosophy'

unexpand these ideas     |    start again     |     specify just one area for these texts

---

4 ideas

1. Philosophy / C. History of Philosophy / 4. Later European Philosophy / d. Nineteenth century philosophy

21943	Since Kant, self-criticism has been part of philosophy [Gutting]
	Full Idea: Philosophy after Kant has involved a continuing critique of its own project.
	From: Gary Gutting (Foucault: a very short introduction [2005], 6)
	A reaction: I'm struck by many modern philosophers in the analytic tradition who write as if Kant had never existed. I don't know if that is a conscious decision, but it may be a good one.

1. Philosophy / G. Scientific Philosophy / 2. Positivism

7491	The phases of human thought are theological, then metaphysical, then positivist [Comte, by Watson]
	Full Idea: The first phase of humanity was theological, attributing phenomena to a deity, the second metaphysical stage attributed them to abstract forms, the third positive stage abandons ultimate causes and just searches for regularities.
	From: report of Auguste Comte (Course of Positive Philosophy [1846]) by Peter Watson - Ideas Ch.32
	A reaction: This is obviously a highly empirical programme, which reasserts Hume's view of the laws of nature. Effectively, positivism just is the rejection of metaphysics.

1. Philosophy / H. Continental Philosophy / 4. Linguistic Structuralism

21944	Structuralism describes human phenomena in terms of unconscious structures [Gutting]
	Full Idea: Structuralism in the 1960s was a set of theories which explained human phenomena in terms of underlying unconscious structures, rather than the lived experience described by Phenomenology.
	From: Gary Gutting (Foucault: a very short introduction [2005], 6)
	A reaction: Hence the interest in Freud and Marx, and Foucault's interest in history, each offering to unmask what is hidden in consciousness. The unmasking is a basically Kantian project. Cf. Frege's hatred of 'psychologism'.

27. Natural Reality / B. Modern Physics / 1. Relativity / a. Special relativity

12709	Motion is not absolute, but consists in relation [Leibniz]
	Full Idea: In reality motion is not something absolute, but consists in relation.
	From: Gottfried Leibniz (On Motion [1677], A6.4.1968), quoted by Daniel Garber - Leibniz:Body,Substance,Monad 3
	A reaction: It is often thought that motion being relative was invented by Einstein, but Leibniz wholeheartedly embraced 'Galilean relativity', and refused to even consider any absolute concept of motion. Acceleration is a bit trickier than velocity.