The Approach to Philosophy

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

25110

Title

The Approach to Philosophy

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Ralph Barton Perry invites readers to rediscover the vital, everyday philosophy inherent in their own experiences. Blending practical life, poetry, religion, and science, this work bridges academic tradition with common understanding, urging individuals to recognize the universal significance of philosophical thought without relying on technical jargon or dialectic.

Summary up to 500 words

In *The Approach to Philosophy*, Ralph Barton Perry argues that philosophy is not merely an isolated academic exercise but the rethinking of a secular and religious consciousness developed independently of formal study. Perry contends that philosophy should grow naturally from the interests to which an individual is already alive, rather than being imposed as a fictitious liveliness. The book is structured into three distinct parts designed to mediate between academic discipline and the common terms of life. Part I explores the problem of philosophy through practical life, poetry, religion, and natural science. Perry demonstrates how these familiar interests imply a deeper philosophical standpoint. He specifically addresses the tension between exclusive naturalism and the need for a broader metaphysical view, particularly regarding science, avoiding polemics to instead highlight the philosophical implications of scientific knowledge. The section on religion defines it not just as belief, but as a belief in the disposition of the universe, examining phenomena like conversion and piety alongside historical types from primitive religions to Buddhism and Christianity. Part II provides a comprehensive map of the philosophical landscape, surveying the entire program of philosophy. Perry classifies problems and conceptions independently of any special point of view, covering metaphysics, epistemology, logic, aesthetics, ethics, theology, and psychology. This section offers an epitome that follows the natural differentiation of the general philosophical problem, providing a broad overview of normative sciences and the special interests of faith. Part III presents the tradition of philosophy in the form of general types, emphasizing the internal consistency that creates systems from answers to special problems. Perry discusses major systems such as Naturalism, Absolute Idealism, and various forms of Realism and Idealism. He examines historical figures like Plato, Aristotle, Spinoza, and Leibniz, contrasting the Stoic ethics of necessity with the Platonic ethics of perfection. For instance, he contrasts the Stoic view of identifying with the eternal being against the Aristotelian focus on human perfection and the cultivation of virtues like temperance and wisdom. The work aims to acquaint the reader with philosophy in the concrete, showing how underlying principles give unity and distinctive flavor to ideas. While acknowledging that lines drawn between types are necessarily sharp and that many historical philosophies refuse to fit neatly, Perry leaves it to the reader to reflect on intermediate stand-points. Ultimately, the book serves as a stimulus and guide, seeking to make the reader more solicitously aware of the philosophy within them and provoking them to think in their own interests.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Philosophy