3500 Years Of Philosophy - Have We Learned Anything?

The recorded history of philosophical discussion goes back thousands of years, and likely long before anything was written about it. It has sought to explore a multitude of questions – How do I know what is true? Does life have meaning? What is moral and just? What must we do? Has philosophy advanced actual knowledge of these questions? Certainly there have been many shifts and sea changes that have occurred in how societies view these questions. But has philosophy actually increased our knowledge, or have other disciplines (like science) done the actual work, with philosophy simply following their lead. But to what extent do these involve gains in knowledge, and to what extent do they reflect shifting tastes and assumptions? For example, Socrates battled against the Sophists of ancient Athens, who believed that what was true depended on a person’s perception. This view was out of favor for a very long time, from the later dominant Socratic tradition, to Classical Theism’s domination of the West, and through the Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution, all of which emphasized that truth exists externally, regardless. However, the 20th century saw the rise of Existentialism and Postmodernism, which called them all into question and became skeptical of concepts like objectivity – the case can be made that we have circled back to the Sophists. And even when views fall out of popular favor, they seldom totally disappear, and they continue to actively debate more popular views. The questions that philosophy seeks to answer seem to still be as hotly debated as ever.

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Topic: Brent Hardaway's Zoom Meeting
Time: Nov 13, 2021 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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