This document provides an overview of modern philosophy. It discusses key philosophers and movements from this era, including rationalism, empiricism, idealism, and existentialism. Some of the philosophers mentioned are Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Marx, and Nietzsche. The document also examines characteristics of modern philosophy, such as its focus on consciousness, epistemology, and the concept of historical progress.

1. MODERN PHILOSOPHY
Jan.11, 2013
Ms. Raizza Corpuz

2. WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?
• Philosophy deals with
those fundamental questions that underlie
everyday notions or lay ground for
scientific concepts. Examples: Who am I?
Where I am coming from? What is the
meaning of life? Does the history of
mankind lead somewhere (or anywhere)?
What is time?

3. • Way of life
• The glamour of knowing
• Man is a questioning being. But our
questions could be of very different kinds.
Some are simple and casual, some very
difficult and complex, some mindboggling
or even obscure.
• it is virtually impossible to give one
universally accepted definition of
philosophy----intellect.

4. • All philosophers will not agree even upon
some general formal characteristics, for
instance that philosophy is a discursive
activity
• philosophy is a unique discipline. No other
subject in the curriculum has to agonize
with a similar problem of an elusive self-
definition.

5. • The very meaning of the
word philosophy (derived from the
Greek compound philo + sophia) points
at once to a special attitude of a
philosopher and her/his objective.
• According to this etymology, "philosophy"
is "a love of wisdom", which means that it
combines both cognitive and emotional
dimension of our mind.

6. REMEMBER
We need the passion of love to start and
keep questioning the things that are either
too familiar or too removed from everyday
concerns. The continuation of this striving
points to the essence of wisdom. Its
posture is a passionate search for
wisdom, not the possession of it.

7. History of Modern
Western Philosophy

8. Periods of Western
Philosophy
• Ancient Philosophy [Greek, Hellenistic and
Roman Philosophy]
• Medieval Philosophy [Patristic and
Scholastic Philosophy]
• Modern Philosophy
• Contemporary Philosophy [20th
Century –
Postmodernism]

9. The Mainstreams of
Modern Philosophy
• Rationalism (Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz,
Malebranche, Pascal)
• Empiricism (Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley,
Hume)
• Criticism (Kant)
• Idealism (Fichte, Schelling, Hegel,
Schopenhauer)

10. • Materialism (Feuerbach, Marx)
• Positivism (Comte, Mach)
• Existentialism (Kierkegaard and
Nietzsche)

11. The Meaning of Modernity
• Moderna” means “new” and “now”.
Modern is a temporal orientation to ‘here
and now’ [not ‘there and past” of the
medieval mentality]
• The term relates to the concept of time:
linear progress [contrary to cyclical
concept of time]
• Key concepts of the modernity:
“technological progress”, “revolution”,
“economic growth”

12. Modern Philosophy is a
philosophy of the subject
• As a whole we can view the modern
western philosophy as a research
program on the epistemological and
metaphysical problems of
consciousness as such [the subject or
subjectum]. So Habermas mentions it
The philosophy of Subject [die
Subjektphilosophie]

13. • The origin of consciousness (e.g.
Descartes and Locke)
• The Development of consciousness
(e.g. Hegel, Kierkegaard, Comte)
• The Collapse of consciousness (e.g.
Schopenhauer, Nietzsche)

14. The Humanists
• The spirit of modern philosophy was built
in the age of Renaissance.
• The rebirth of the Greek and Roman
civilization in Italy during 16th
Century
reflected in many cultural aspects such as
literature, architecture, philosophy, art etc.
• The humanists taught eloquence, history,
poetry, moral (comparable to the sophists
in ancient Greece)

15. Three Characteristics of
Modern Philosophy
• 1.Centers on the problem of
consciousness or subjectivity [contrary to
theocentrism]
• 2. Radicalization of the epistemological
concept of critique [contrary to dogmatism]
• 3. Teleological Concept of historical
progress of mankind [contrary to status
quo]

16. Man as Natural Being
• Renaissance culture viewed man as
natural being. He doesn’t come from
heaven, but grows from earth and is
provided with natural talents and vitality.
So, the naked figures in the renaissance’s
gallery glorified the natural beauty of man.

17. Man as Individual
• The individual (not the collective) was a
central theme of art and literature in the
culture of renaissance. In the western
philosophy the paradigm-shift occurred
during the renaissance, i.e. from
theocentrism of medieval thought to
anthropocentrism of modern thought.

18. MODERN
PHILOSOPHER

19. ENGLISH THINKERS
THOMAS
HOBBES
VS.

20. Leviathian vs. Two Treatise on
Gov’t
VS.

21. • English Philosopher
• Inspired by the Glorious Revolution & English BOR
• 1690 – published Two Treatises on Government
• People shaped by their experiences not natural violent
• All people had 3 natural rights – life, liberty, & property
• People are born with a “tabula rasa” or clean slate.
• Purpose of gov’t = serve the people – people have the
right to overthrow the gov’t if it is not serving its
purpose
• Social Contract – agreement b/w ruler & people
• Influenced Thomas Jefferson, Declar. Of Indep., &
Rousseau

22. • English Philosopher
• Influenced by the English Civil War & Charles I
Execution
• 1651 – Published Leviathan (Sea Monster)
• Argued that natural law made absolute monarchy the
best form of gov’t
• Humans were natural selfish and violent
• People couldn’t make their own decisions
• If they did life would be “nasty, brutish, and short”
• Only a strong ruler (Leviathan) could give people
direction

23. • Inspired by the Glorious Revolution & John Locke,
Greek Philosophers
• French Philosophe
• 1748 – published – Spirit of Laws
• Separation of Power – equal divide power among the
3 Branches of gov’t
• Executive (Monarch) enforce laws, Legislative
(Parliament) makes laws, Judicial (Courts) interpret
laws
• By separating these powers, gov’t could not become
too powerful – checks and balances

24. Montesquieu’s 3 branches in Action

25. • French Philosopher
• 1762 – published Social Contract
• Gov’t should be based on a Social Contract
• Everyone must agree to be governed by the general
will – whats good for the ppl (foundation for totalitarian
gov’t)
• Humans being were naturally good but corrupted by
society
• Importance on Education and Civic Virtue – train ppl
how to be good citizens.
• People should pay more attention to emotions &
feelings instead of new ideas –seek a balance –

26. • Francois-Marie Arouet – known as
Voltaire
• French Philosophe
• Wrote many novels, plays, letters, &
essays that brought him fame
• Strong dislike of Catholic Church
• Blame the church for keeping
knowledge from people to keep its
power
• Freedom of Religion
• Natural Law runs the world

27. • References
• . F. Budi Hardiman, Sejarah Filsafat Barat
Modern dari Machiavelli sampai
Nietzsche, Gramedia, Jakarta, 2004

28. THOUGHT TO PONDER
Educating the mind without
educating the heart is no
education at all ~Aristotle ♥
THANK YOU! Have a