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IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH PHILOSOPHY
Sedeleva Anastasia Olegovna, student, training program 47.03.01. Philosophy, Orenburg State University, Orenburg e-mail: [email protected]
Research advisor: Zakharova Viktoria Anatolievna, lecturer, Department of Theory and Practice of Translation, Orenburg State University, Orenburg e-mail: [email protected]
Abstract. The article examines the ideas of English and British philosophers who influenced the further development ofphilosophy in general. The ideas ofphilosophers from the Middle Ages - through the Age of Enlightenment are shown. The positions of Russian authors on the issues of research and understanding ofphilosophical texts are presented. The purpose of this work is to analyze philosophical ideas. The main results obtained should be considered: the identification of social, political and philosophical ideas of thinkers. Separately, the advanced ideas of empiricist philosophers were highlighted, which influenced the development of scientific knowledge in general. This article will serve as a source of further research not only on British philosophy, but also on German classical philosophy, which was significantly influenced by the British philosophical tradition.
Key words: English philosophy, idea, knowledge, experience, representative, people.
Cite as: Sedeleva, A.O. (2020) [Importance of English philosophy]. Shag v nauku [Step into science]. Vol. 4, рр. 113-115.
ЗНАЧЕНИЕ АНГЛИЙСКОЙ ФИЛОСОФИИ
Седелева Анастасия Олеговна, студент, направление подготовки 47.03.01. Философия, Оренбургский государственный университет, Оренбург e-mail: [email protected]
Научный руководитель: Захарова Виктория Анатольевна, преподаватель кафедры теории и практики перевода, Оренбургский государственный университет, Оренбург e-mail: [email protected]
Аннотация. В статье рассматриваются идеи английских и британских философов, оказавших влияние на дальнейшее развитие философии в целом. Показаны идеи философов со средних веков - по эпоху Просвещения. Излагаются позиции отечественных авторов к вопросам исследования и понимания философских текстов. Цель данной работы заключается в анализе философских идей. Основными полученными результатами следует считать выявление социальных, политических и философских идей мыслителей. Отдельно были выделены передовые идеи философов-эмпириков, которые оказали влияние на развитие научного знания в целом. Данная статья послужит источником дальнейших исследований не только британской философии, но и немецкой классической философии, на которую британская философская традиция оказала значительное влияние.
Ключевые слова: английская философия, идея, знание, опыт, представитель, люди.
Для цитирования: Sedeleva, A. O. (2020) [Importance of English philosophy]. Shag v nauku [Step into science]. Vol. 4, рр. 113-115.
English philosophy is the activity of philosophers and philosophical movements, schools that are geographically located both in England and throughout the British Isles. Therefore, the term «British philosophy» is more commonly used.
The first most famous representative of English philosophy is traditionally considered to be the thinker of the early middle ages, Johannes Scotus Eriugena. Being of Irish descent, he was brought up in the spirit of the Irish and English traditions. Knowing Latin and Greek, he read and translated the works of ancient and Byzantine philosophers. And as was customary in the
middle ages, he developed theology and was interested in philosophy. He developed the doctrine of predestination as coming from the power of God's will, before which the will of man is of the least importance.
But as we will see later, there is a change in people's worldview. Consequently, religiosity begins to lose its power. We see this as an example of the ideas of Johannes Duns Scotus. Duns Scotus is an important representative of the High middle ages. He, like his followers, separated religious faith and knowledge. This thought was a breakthrough. And this becomes a harbinger of changes in people's attitude to knowledge.
ШАГ В НАУКУ
4, 2020
Knowledge begins to break out of subordination to religious faith. Therefore, theology is not a science; science is given to man as a salvation from unbelief.
The first to argue with the religious basis of philosophical works was Roger Bacon. Being an empiricist, he laid the basis for the development of scientific rationality. The main thing, as Roger Bacon wrote, is an experience that can only be acquired through the senses. Spiritual experience is possible, but not everyone can get it. Therefore, in addition to philosophy, Roger Bacon was engaged in alchemy and optics. We also know about his discoveries related to the refraction of rays.
The father of modern epistemology, the monk-philosopher William of Ockham is known for his works on logic. The term «Occam's Razor» also entered the history of philosophy. «Occam's Razor» is a rule according to which you do not need to multiply concepts indefinitely. In addition to works on logic, he was engaged in social philosophy. He introduced the concept of «natural law», which is crucial for human society. «Natural law» from the point of view of morality is always opposed to «Divine law». This system is typical for Western Europe of the XIII-XIV centuries [1].
The image of a real utopia by Sir Thomas More marked the beginning of utopian socialist thought and novels. This work is based on such works of Plato as «Timaeus», «The Republic». Mohr begins the work with a critique of established social injustice. The author tries to convey the Platonic idea that private property is the main cause of all the evil, all the injustice that divides people according to wealth, putting them on a certain stage in the social hierarchy. Utopia is a place hidden from the eyes of strangers. Utopia is a country with a good climate and a wonderful device. In Utopia, all residents have equal rights. There is no such thing as «private property» here. All officials representing the government are good people. Relations between the government and the people are family [7]. Utopians call their leaders their fathers. If there is no private property and the laws are enforced, no one steals, no one kills. People love their country and protect it from foreign enemies. Because foreigners can interfere with such a social utopia. Foreigners can impose their own rules and laws. These laws will be alien to the inhabitants, so foreign laws are not needed in the land of utopians. At the same time, utopians are capable of empathy. The idea of virtue is borrowed from the ancient Greeks. They were happy to help foreigners who were shipwrecked. After all, the main goal of the Utopia authorities is to educate decent citizens who will continue the work of their ancestors to build the best state. After all, it is the best state that Thomas More calls his «Utopia» [6].
The Renaissance is followed by a modern history that opens up new frontiers in philosophy and considers scientific knowledge rather than religious knowledge. One of the first thinkers of the British modern history was Francis Bacon. Francis Bacon was the founder of
the empirical direction in philosophy. Bacon's empiricism is based on experience. This philosopher believed that the truth can be approached through accumulated theoretical knowledge and practical experience. However, it should be said that true knowledge is not and should not be an end in itself. Because the task is not in true knowledge. The goal of the Francis Bacon experiment is to help a person to achieve some practical results. The practice is of great importance. This is why the following statement «Knowledge itself is power» is attributed to Francis. Francis Bacon also proclaimed the induction as the main method of cognitive activity. The induction is a generalization of particular phenomena. In other words, it is a method where the particular conclusion is deduced from the General one. Thus, the path of the possibility of knowledge itself was expanded. However, getting a «clean experience» is not easy. To get a pure experience, you need to rid your mind of ghosts. There are three types of «ghosts» or «idols». The «Idols of the Tribe» is the transfer of our perception features to the categories of the objective world prejudices because of a contract to establish the meaning of words. The «Idols of the Theatre» is the result of incorrect theories. It should be noted that «already in the XX century, not once will be addressed, proving the increasing role of knowledge» [3. p. 4].
In modern history, thinkers are beginning to develop ideas of political philosophy. John Locke is one of the representatives of political philosophy. John Locke has been expanding the ideas of Francis Bacon and Thomas Hobbes. He continued the empirical tradition of English philosophy. He was the first to put forward the idea of separation of powers in the state. "In the XVII century he identified almost the same thing that we have in the XXI century: the legislative and executive branches of government, but the judicial branch is not in Locke's political theory, it is replaced by the federal one-dealing with relations with other States» [5, p. 6]. Its influence is also reflected in the United States Declaration of Independence. He spoke of the «natural state» as a state of freedom. This freedom gives a person the right to dispose of their life and property. It is also the right to own property. Not all philosophers approved of the idea of private property, as has been written above. It should be said that Locke was a democrat and a liberal, so for him private property played an important role. The state guarantees people such «natural rights». The state itself was created by people who wanted to give up certain freedoms in order to acquire goods. For example, the state protected people from external enemies, helped in disasters. Thus, John Locke influenced the development of political philosophy and civil society.
Bacon's ideas were accepted by Thomas Hobbes. Thomas Hobbes went on to assert that philosophy is necessary for achieving practical results in human activity. Hobbes adds that the goal is to promote scientific and technological progress. According to Thomas Hobbes,
man does not possess virtue. Man initially possesses all the vices that make him evil. Therefore, people do everything against other people, and for their own good. According to Thomas Hobbes, people are selfish. People only look for profit in everything. This pattern of behavior is caused by hatred of other people. This is how wars are born. But there is one eternal war. This is a «war of all against all». In this brutal struggle, there is no winner; everyone loses, drowning in their own interests. How did people find a way to survive in such difficult interpersonal relationships? People have entered into a joint social contract. As a result of the Treaty, people were able to limit their selfish desires and stop the eternal war. This joint social contract gave birth to the state. It is thanks to the strength and power of the state machine that people have been able to live in safety. Because no one and nothing can resist the power of the state. Thus, we see how the idea of the social contract of the English philosopher Hobbes influenced the development of the theory of democratic society, state sovereignty, and the further development of political philosophy.
However, it cannot be said that British philosophers were only interested in religion, politics, and logic. Philosophers were also interested in the problems of knowledge. Berkeley is a prominent representative of English-Irish empiricism. In his work George Berkeley was paid to the great influence of sensual knowledge, as well as all other empiricists. Berkeley has a preference for feeling. He opposed ideas when they took the subject as "it is". The item itself does not exist. No pear or apple at all. There is a separate apple and a separate pear. Therefore, the very idea of an apple or a pear in a person's mind can not exist. He was against the classification of objects. Everything exists only in perception. «One of the main
propositions of the Berkeley concept is' to exist is to be perceived ' (esse est percipi). In this concept, Berkeley formulated the doctrine of subjective idealism, the consistent implementation of which is impossible without recognizing the existence of only a single subject, the «I» - the doctrine of so-called solipsism («there is only one I»)» [4, p. 81]. Thus, we can conclude that Berkeley had a controversial and very ambiguous influence on the further development of philosophy in Europe. Some called his ideas absurd and contrary to common sense.
One of the greatest figures of the British Enlightenment was David Hume. David Hume was a Scottish. David Hume embraced Berkeley's ideas. Hume was influenced by Locke's ideas. Hume argued that man does not have the ability to understand the world. But he did not deny the existence of this world. Experience comes from the human mind. In this way, experience is transformed from a relationship to the world into a perception of the world itself. Yu m also studied analytical philosophy. The so-called «guillotine of Hume» suggests that general facts cannot be made into general statements [2]. This was the skepticism of Hume. Also, this philosopher can be found socio-philosophical views. Here Hume opposes the ideas of Hobbes. People are social by nature. And since people do not tend to be alone, so people form a society. The first group that people form is the family. People understand the benefits of this connection. People are beginning to increase their property. Thus, the division of society is obtained. The state begins to be ruled by leaders.
So, as we can see, English philosophy is rich in ideas. Here the philosophers are related to social, political, and many of the problems. Thinkers do not leave logic and problems of knowledge of the world. In General, this will have an impact on German idealism.
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The paper was submitted: 10.04.2020; accepted for publication: 19.08.2020.
The author has read and approved the final manuscript.
